Louis wants to carpet the rectangular floor of his basement. The basement has an area of 980 square feet. The width of the basement is 1/5 its length. What is the length of Louis's basement?

This problem requires a system of equations.

Let x be the length and y be the width.

xy = 980 x = 5y

Substitute 5y for x.

5y (y) = 980

5y² = 980

y² = 980/5

y² = 196

y = √196

y = 14 feet

Substitute 14 for y.

x = 5y

x = 5 (14)

x = 70 feet

The length is 70 feet.