A rectangular deck is 12 ft by 14 ft. When the length and width are increased by the same amount, the area becomes 288 sq. ft. By how much were the dimensions increased?

Let x be the amount added to each dimension. The new area is (12 + x)(14 + x) = 288. Since 16 × 18 = 288, adding 4 ft to both dimensions gives the required area, so the answer is 4 ft.

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