If two opposite sides of a square are increased by 15 meters and the other sides are decreased by 5 meters, the area of the rectangle that is formed is 69 square meters. find the area of the original square.

Let y = original side So A = LW 60 = (y+15) (y-13) (y+15) (y-13) = 60 y^2 + 2y - 195 = 60 y^2 + 2y - 195 - 60 = 0 y = - 17 or y = 15 Toss out the negative solution to get y = 15 as the only solution. So the square has a side length of 15 meters. The area of this square is 15^2 = 15*15 = 225 square meters.