Question

A 16 ft board is to be cut into three​ pieces, two​ equal-length ones and the third 3 in. shorter than each of the other two. If the cutting does not result in any length being​ lost, how long are the​ pieces?

The first two pieces are each _____ in. long.

Answer 1

The first two pieces are 5' 5" long; the last piece is 5' 2" long.

Explanation:

If x is the length of one of the longer pieces, then the shorter one (in inches) is x-3. The total length of the three pieces is ...

x + x + (x-3) = 192

3x = 195 . . . . . . . . . add 3

x = 65 . . . . . . . . . . inches

65 inches = 5 ft 5 inches

The first two pieces are each 5' 5" long; the remaining piece is 5' 2" long.