Recall the shipping box scenario from the Introduction. As an employee of a sporting goods company, you need to order shipping boxes for bike helmets. Each helmet is packaged in a box that is n inches wide, n inches long, and 8 inches tall. The shipping box you order should accommodate the boxed helmets along with some packing material that will take up an extra 2 inches of space along the width and 4 inches of space along the length. The height of the shipping box should be the same as the helmet box. The volume of the shipping box needs to be 1,144 cubic inches. The equation that models the volume of the shipping box is 8(n + 2)(n + 4) = 1,144.
Answer the following questions about the equation modeling the volume of the shipping box.
Question 1
Solve the equation that models the volume of the shipping box, 8(n + 2)(n + 4) = 1,144. If you get two solutions, are they both reasonable?