One side of the rectangle is three times the other, and its perimeter is 32 cm. What is the smaller side of the rectangle?

The perimeter of a rectangle is the sum of the lengths of all its sides. Since in a rectangle the opposite sides are equal, then P = 2 * (a + b), where a is the length, b is the width. Let the width be – x cm. Then the length is 3 centimeters. Knowing that the perimeter is 32 centimeters. let’s make an equation.

2 * (3x + x) = 32;
2 * 4x = 32;
8x = 32;
x = 32/8;
x = 4 centimeters.

The smaller side of the rectangle, that is, the width is 4 centimeters.

Answer: 4 centimeters.