Question

A 15- foot piece of string is cute into two pieces so that the longer is 3 feet longer than 2twice the shorter piece. If the shorter piece is x feel long, find the lengths of both pieces.

Answer 1

Longer string= 11 feet long

Shorter string= 4 feet long

Explanation:

L= Longer string

S= Shorter string

15=L+S

L=2S+3

1) Substitute 2S+3 as L:

2S+3+S=15

2) Combine alike terms:

3S+3=15

3) Subtract 3 from both sides:

3S=12

4) Divide both sides by 3:

S=4

5) Substitute 4 as S in the second equation:

L=2(4)+3

6) Solve:

L=11