What are the general steps to follow when solving an equation

In triangle △abc, ∠abc=90°, bh is an altitude. find the missing lengths. ah=4 and hc=1, find bh.

A(1,1) b(-3,0) c(-4,-1) d(3,-2) drag it to correct position

Mrs. avila is buying a wallpaper border to go on all of her kitchen walls. she wants to buy 5 extra feet of wallpaper border than she needs to be sure she has enough. she buys 55.5 feet of the border. the store owner selling the border uses the width of mrs. avila's kitchen to determine that the length of her kitchen must be 14.5 feet.