AMC 12 2008b Problem 16

A rectangular floor measures $a$ by $b$ feet, where $a$ and $b$ are positive integers with $b > a$. An artist paints a rectangle on the floor with the sides of the rectangle parallel to the sides of the floor. The unpainted part of the floor forms a border of width $1$ foot around the painted rectangle and occupies half of the area of the entire floor. How many possibilities are there for the ordered pair $(a,b)$?

(Solution)

\textbf{(A)}\ 1 \textbf{(B)}\ 2 \textbf{(C)}\ 3 \textbf{(D)}\ 4 \textbf{(E)}\ 5