Moira buys a new rectangular rug that is 3 inches shorter than her old rectangular rug. The area of the new rug is (x^2 + 2x - 15) in^2. The rug is 0, 5, 7 or 15 inches Wider or Narrower?

The area of the new rug is

x² + 2x - 15

Since

A = l x w

The new rug is 3 in shorter than her old rug, so we divide the area by (x - 3)

(x² + 2x - 15) / (x - 3)

By factoring

(x - 3) (x + 5) / (x - 3)

Cancelling out terms

x + 5

The width is 5 inches wider