Henrietta is a pet rabbit who lives in an enclosure that is 2m wide and 4m long. her human family has decided to purchase some more rabbits to keep her company and so the size of the enclosure must be increased.
a. draw a diagram of henrietta’s enclosure, clearly marking the lengths of the sides.
b. if the length and width of the enclosure are increased by xm, find the new dimensions.
c. if the new area is to be 24m^2, write an equation relating the sides and the area of the enclosure (area = length x width).
d. use the equation to find the value of x and, hence, the length of the sides of the new enclosure. justify your answer.