text: please refer to the details section for this math question that i need help with.? i have the answer but need to be able to show work for it  question:  juan, a landscaper in alburquerque, designing a spring display of tulips and daffodils. the city has requested a 6-ft by 8-ft area of tulips surrounded by a uniform border of daffodils. the total area of tulips are daffodils is to be 100 ft^2. how wide should the border be?  answer: -7+(squareroot of 101)/2 = 1.52 ft there is a rectangle, 6x8 inside of a larger rectangle.  the distance between the inner and outer is "x", and we're assuming it's uniform all the way around.  so the 6ft side of the rectangle has x on the left and x on the right, so the total side is 6 + 2x.  the 8ft side has x on top and x on bottom, or 8 + 2x total.  area is length * width, and you know total area, border and all, is 100.  100 = (6+2x)(8+2x)  100 = 48 + 28x + 4x^2 <--- you can divide through by 4 here  25 = 12 + 7x + x^2; make the equation = 0 by subtracting 25 from both sides, and reorder a bit:  0 = x^2 + 7x - 13  now use quadratic formula to solve for x; when ax^2 + bx + c = 0; x = [-b +/- sqrt(b^2 - 4ac)]/2a  so for x^2 + 7x - 13 = 0 a is 1; b is 7; and c is -13  x = [-7 +/- sqrt(7^2 - (4)(1)(-13)]/2*1   = [-7 +/- sqrt(49 + 52)]/2  = [-7 +/- sqrt(101)]/2 <-- you would only consider the plus, since -7 minus sqrt101 would give you a negative number, thus your answer  x = [-7 + sqrt(101)]/2 = approx. 1.52 ft