If the area and width of a rectangle are known and the length of the rectangle is required instead, the formula A = lw would not help as it is l that now needs to be calculated.
The formula A = lw needs to be rearranged to make l the subject of the formula. To make l the subject of the formula, l needs to be isolated.
A = lw means A = l × w In the formula above, the letter l is multiplied by w .
The inverse (opposite) of multiplying by w is dividing by w, so divide both sides by w to isolate l . A
__ w = l × w
__ w = l
A
The letter l is now by itself which means l is now the subject of the formula. To work out the length of a rectangle the formula is A
rectangle ( w).
Worked example 1 Rearrange the formula v = u + at to make: (i) u the subject of the formula (ii) t the subject of the formula.
Solution (i)
(ii)
Fundamental rule in Mathematics Whatever operation you do (add, subtract, divide, square root) to one side of an equation you must do to the other so that the left-hand side and the right-hand side remain equal.
__ w = l, so divide the area ( A ) by the width of the