Chapter 7: Problem 57
Solve the given problems. All numbers are accurate to at least two significant digits. A computer monitor has a viewing screen that is \(33.8 \mathrm{cm}\) wide and \(27.3 \mathrm{cm}\) high, with a uniform edge around it. If the edge covers \(20.0 \%\) of the monitor front, what is the width of the edge?
Short Answer
Step by step solution
Calculate the Area of the Viewing Screen
Calculate Total Monitor Area with Edge
Solve for the Total Monitor Area
Set Up the Equation for Total Monitor Area
Solve for Width of the Edge
Calculate Using the Quadratic Formula
Determine the Solution for Width
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Quadratic Equation
- \( ax^2 + bx + c = 0 \), where:
- \(a\), \(b\), and \(c\) are constants, with \(a eq 0\)
- \(x\) is the variable
The quadratic formula also helps determine whether the solutions are real and distinct, real and repeated, or imaginary, depending on the value of the discriminant \(b^2 - 4ac\).
In the exercise, solving the quadratic equation led to finding the width \(w\) of the monitor edge.
Area Calculation
In the context of the exercise, we calculate the area of two rectangles: the viewing screen and the total monitor area including the edge.
The area \(A\) of a rectangle is determined by multiplying its width by its height:\[ A = \text{width} \times \text{height} \]For the viewing screen, given its dimensions, the area is calculated as:\( 33.8 \, ext{cm} \times 27.3 \, ext{cm} = 922.74 \, ext{cm}^2 \).
This straightforward multiplication gives us the area of the screen, which we later use to find the edge size after determining the total area of the monitor.
Geometry
In this problem, we deal with rectangular geometry. The monitor and its screen are both rectangles, defined by their width and height. This problem illustrates how additional geometric concepts, like the thickness of an edge, can transform simple geometry into a problem involving quadratic equations. -The screen area and edge alter the dimensions, leading to the equation: \((33.8 + 2w)(27.3 + 2w) = 1153.425\). Here, the added \(2w\) accounts for the uniform borders surrounding the screen, effectively altering the dimensions of the complete rectangle, including the edges.
Percentage
In this exercise, we learn that the edge covers 20% of the monitor's front area.
This information is used to derive the total area of the monitor by knowing that the remaining 80% of the monitor's front is the viewing screen, calculated as 80% of the total area:\[ 0.8 \times \text{total area} = 922.74 \, ext{cm}^2 \]Using the reverse calculation, the complete area we found was:
\[ \text{total area} = \frac{922.74}{0.8} = 1153.425 \, \text{cm}^2 \]This simple percentage concept allows one to connect the area of the viewing screen with the total area of the monitor.
Significant Digits
In computations, the number of significant digits reflects the number of digits believed to be accurate. For this problem's solutions, figures like \(33.8\) and \(27.3\) cm both have three significant digits.
- It's critical to maintain significant digits throughout calculations to ensure results retain their real-world accuracy.
This ensures the resultant calculations for areas and other parts of the problem reflect true precision, like rounding the width of the edge to four significant digits: 0.4625 cm.