Problema Solution
A 200 meter canoe race is laid out in the shape of a triangle. The first leg is 8 meters shorter than the second leg. The third leg is twice as long as the first leg. Find the length of the longest leg of the race.
Answer provided by our tutors
Let
x = the length of the second leg
x - 8 = the length of the first leg
2(x - 8) = the length of the third leg
x + (x - 8) + 2(x - 8) = 200
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click here to see the equation solved for x
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x = 56 m
x - 8 = 56 - 8 = 48 m
2(x - 8) = 2*(56 - 8) = 2*48 = 96 m
The length of the longest leg of the race is 96 meters.