The length of a rectangle is 5 times its width. What is the area of this rectangle if its width is 8 cm less than its length?

1. Let the width of the given rectangle be x cm, then its length is (5 * x) cm. By the condition of the problem, the width is 8 cm less than the length.

2. Let’s compose and solve the equation:

5 * x = x + 8;

4 * x = 8;

x = 8/4 = 2;

3. We got that the width of the rectangle is 2 cm. Then the length of the rectangle is 5 * 2 = 10 cm.

4. The area of a rectangle is equal to the product of its length and width. Therefore, the area of this rectangle is 10 * 2 = 20 square centimeters.

Answer: the area of the rectangle is 20 square centimeters.