"Published in Newark, California, USA"
In 1964, Thelma bought two lots at ₱ 9,600 each. One lot contains 40 square meters more than the other but costs ₱ 12 less per square meter. Find the area of each lot.
Solution:
The given problem is about finding the area of two lots in which Thelma bought. The other lot has a bigger area but cheaper price. The prices of both lots are the same. Let's analyze the given word problem as follows:
Let x = be the area of Lot #1
y = be the price of Lot #1 per square meter
x + 40 = be the area of Lot #2
y - 12 = be the price of Lot #2 per square meter
The working equation for Lot #1 is
The working equation for Lot #2 is
But
Hence, the above equation becomes
By using the completing the square method, the value of x is
Since area is always a positive value, then we need to choose the positive sign. Therefore, the area of Lot #1 is
and the area of Lot #2 is 160 m² + 40 m² = 200 m².