Problema Solution
A 128 in. long pipe is cut into three pieces such that the second piece is ten in. more than the first piece, and the third piece is nineteen in. more than five times the second piece.
A) Letting x be the length of the first piece, write an equation that equates the given total length of the board to the sum of the lengths of the three pieces as described in the problem. Make sure your equation models the situation exactly, i.e. do not write a simplified version of the equation.
Answer provided by our tutors
x = the length of the first piece
x + 10 = the length of the second piece
19 + 5(x + 10) = the length of the third piece
The total length of the pipe was 128 in:
x + (x + 10) + (19 + 5(x + 10)) = 128
x + x + 10 + 19 + 5(x + 10) = 128
2x + 29 + 5x + 50 = 128
7x + 79 = 128
7x = 128 - 79
7x = 49 divide both sides by 7
x = 49/7
x = 7 in