Answer:
5 units
Step-by-step explanation:
Represent the length and width by L and W. Then W = L - 4.
The area of the rectangle is 45 square units = L(L - 4), or
L^2 - 4L - 45 = 0
This factors easily into
(L - 9)(L + 5) = 0, so L must be 9. We ignore the negative value -5.
The width of the rectangle is W = L - 4, or 5 units.