A rectangular garden

Expert replies

Previous Topic Next Topic

boomgoesthegmat: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 93; Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2016 2:22 pmFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 1 times

by boomgoesthegmat » Thu Apr 28, 2016 1:25 pm

Timer

00:00

Answers

Stats

Difficulty—

A rectangular garden is to be twice as long as it is wide. If 360 yards of fencing, including the gate, will completely enclose the garden, what will be the length of the garden, in yards?

A) 120
B) 140
C) 160
D) 180
E) 200

A

Like this post

Source: Beat The GMAT — Problem Solving | Thu Apr 28, 2016 1:25 pm

Matt@VeritasPrep: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 2630; Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2012 3:32 pmFollowed by: 119 members; Location: East Bay all the way; Thanked: 625 times; GMAT Score:780

by Matt@VeritasPrep » Thu Apr 28, 2016 2:10 pm

We want the length, so let's call that x.

Length = x

Width is half that, so

Width = x/2

We know that the perimeter is 360, so

2*L + 2*W = 360

2*x + 2*(x/2) = 360

2x + x = 360

x = 120

Save $100 on any VP online course!

Like this post

GMAT/MBA Expert

Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16207; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pmFollowed by: 1268 members; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Thu Apr 28, 2016 2:18 pm

boomgoesthegmat wrote:A rectangular garden is to be twice as long as it is wide. If 360 yards of fencing, including the gate, will completely enclose the garden, what will be the length of the garden, in yards?

A) 120
B) 140
C) 160
D) 180
E) 200

A

Normally, I'd use the 1-variable approach that Matt used. However, I'll also show how we can also use 2 variables.

Let W = the width of the rectangle
Let L = the length of the rectangle

A rectangular garden is to be twice as long as it is wide.
So, we get: L = 2W

360 yards of fencing, including the gate, will completely enclose the garden
In other words, the perimeter is 360.
So, we can write: L + L + W + W = 360
Simplify to get: 2L + 2W = 360

So, we have the following system of 2 equations with 2 unknowns:
L = 2W
2L + 2W = 360

We can take 2W in the bottom equation and replace it with L to get: 2L + L = 360
Simplify: 3L = 360
Solve: L = 120
Answer: A

Related Resources
The following videos cover the concepts/strategies that are useful for answering this question:
- Assigning variables: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat ... /video/902
- Writing equations: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat ... /video/903
- How many variables to assign?: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat ... /video/906

Cheers,
Brent

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

Like this post

GMAT/MBA Expert

[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pmFollowed by: 511 members; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Thu Apr 28, 2016 6:40 pm

Hi boomgoesthegmat,

This question can be solved by TESTing THE ANSWERS.

We're told that we're dealing with a rectangular garden that has a perimeter of 360 yards of fencing. This means that....

2(length) + 2(width) = 360
length + width = 180

We're also told that the length is TWICE the width. We're asked for the length of the garden. Since the answer choices are all numbers, it shouldn't take too much arithmetic to figure out which one fits all of the given information.

Let's TEST Answer B: 140 yards

IF the length is 140 yards, then...
180 - 140 = 40
140 = TWICE 70
40 does NOT = 70, so this cannot be the answer.

To 'shrink' the difference in the two values, we'll need a shorter length, and there's only one answer that fits THAT description. You can prove that it's correct with just a little more work though...

Let's TEST Answer A: 120 yards

IF the length is 140 yards, then...
180 - 120 = 60
120 = TWICE 60
60 DOES = 60, so this MUST be the answer.

Final Answer: A

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Contact Rich at [email protected]

Like this post

GMAT/MBA Expert

Scott@TargetTestPrep: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 8137; Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2015 10:56 amFollowed by: 29 members; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 43 times

by Scott@TargetTestPrep » Thu Mar 15, 2018 9:34 am

boomgoesthegmat wrote:A rectangular garden is to be twice as long as it is wide. If 360 yards of fencing, including the gate, will completely enclose the garden, what will be the length of the garden, in yards?

A) 120
B) 140
C) 160
D) 180
E) 200

The length of the rectangular garden is twice as long it is wide. Thus, we know:

length = 2(width)

Thus, we can let w = width and 2w = length and create the equation:

360 = 2(2w) + 2w

360 = 4w + 2w

360 = 6w

60 = w

Since the width of the garden is 60 yards, the length is 2 x 60 = 120 yards.

Answer: A

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder and CEO
[email protected]

See why Target Test Prep is rated 5 out of 5 stars on BEAT the GMAT. Read our reviews

Like this post

Post new topic Post Reply

• Page 1 of 1

GMAT Course Reviews

559 reviews

1168 reviews

431 reviews

359 reviews

147 reviews

5/5

5 Star (560 Reviews)

"Target Test Prep is the closest to the official version of the GMAT exam, about 99% accuracy in terms of the quality and quantity of information. The course has excellently created singular sets of focused lessons and tests for every possible topic that one could come across in the official GMAT exam."

"The TTP course maximizes the efficiency of the time you spend studying. It will take time and effort but I could almost guarantee that if you complete the course exactly as it is laid out you will get an amazing score. They also have a very responsive team willing to help with any questions you might have."

"TTP has two things that I think no other test prep company offers: A teaching approach that reinforces understanding and an attitude that will give you the mental preparedness needed to succeed on the test. TTP gives you a deep understanding of the concept you need to know while teaching you how to think."

Write a Review