The area of a rectangular dog pen is 8 1/2 square feet. If the width is 3 2/5 feet, what is the length, in feet?

2 1/2 ft

Step-by-step explanation:

Area is given by the formula

A = l*w

We know the area is 8 1/2

Changing this to an improper fraction 8 1/2 = (2*8 + 1) / 2 = 17/2

The width is 3 2/5 as an improper fraction = (5*3+2) / 5 = 17/5

A = l*w

17/2 = l * 17/5

Multiply each side by 5/17

17/2 * 5/17 = l * 17/5 * 5/17

5/2 = l

2 1/2 = l

Since area is length times width, you can divide 8 1/2 by 3 2/5 to get the length. 8.5/3.2=2.65625 feet