Width - Driveway

[Guest]

A house is to be built on a square lot. The house will face the street, with a driveway around the other 3 sides. The owner wishes the house to cover the same amount of land as the driveway. Determine width of driveway, with the lot being 100 feet each side.

Let w = width of driveway.

The lot, being square is 100 x 100 = 10,000 sq. ft.

How do I proceed ?

[Guest]

The question asks to find the width of the driveway. So that is only 1 thing it is asking...... 1 unknown.???
The question tell you the overall dimensions of the plot. and the constraints placed on the size of the house and the size of the driveway. So make up an equation using this information and solve it.

[Guest]

I don't know how.

[Guest]

The question tells you the overall dimensions of the plot. So..... What is the area of the driveway.?

[Guest]

If the driveway is on 3 sides, 10000 / 3 = 3333

I don't think that is correct.

[Guest]

No, I asked what is the "Area" of the driveway.

Quote from question..... "The owner wishes the house to cover the same amount of land as the driveway."

So what is the Area of the driveway................

[Guest]

10000 - 100 = 9900

If not correct, no idea.

[Guest]

Why did you subtract 100.?

[Guest]

" Why did you subtract 100.? " The driveway is around 3 sides and the house faces the street.

[Guest]

Why did you subtract 100.??

Quote from question..... "The owner wishes the house to cover the same amount of land as the driveway."

So what is the" Area" OR "the amount land" for the driveway................

[Guest]

No idea.

[Guest]

I assume you mean you have no idea why you subtracted 100 .............

But my question was..........

Quote from question..... "The owner wishes the house to cover the same amount of land as the driveway."

So what is the" Area" OR "the amount land" for the driveway................

The answer is in the question..............

If you don't know......then I assume you do not understand the question...........

You need to understand the question before you will be able to work out and answer...............

If you don't understand the question you will not know what you are working out or what you have to work out..........

[Guest]

The lot is 100 x 100 = 10000 sq. ft. = "area" of the lot.

I don't know how to calculate the "area" of the driveway.

[Guest]

Read this line from the question.......Maybe it will help..............
Quote from question..... "The owner wishes the house to cover the same amount of land as the driveway."

So what is the" Area" OR "the amount land" for the driveway................

Yes, the area of the lot is 10000.....OK................So what is area of driveway??.............

[Guest]

The house covers the same amount of land as the driveway - I understand.

I still don't know the area.

[Guest]

You must not understand that fully or you would know the area of the driveway.
You have already worked out the total area of the whole lot.
So you should know the area of the driveway.

So what is the area of the driveway.?

[Guest]

I don't know.

[Guest]

Well then I will give another simple example.....

Suppose we have a wall 10 feet by 10 feet and we want to paint it black and blue. We want the black paint to "cover the same amount of wall" as the blue paint. What is the area of the whole wall?......and what is the area painted blue?......

[Guest]

"What is the area of the whole wall?......and what is the area painted blue?......" total - 100 sq. ft. area blue - 10 sq. ft.

[Guest]

Did you read the question?............Yes the total is 10 x 10 = 100 sq feet

"We want the black paint to "cover the same amount of wall" as the blue paint."

So how can the area of blue paint be 10 sq.feet...........................