Answer:
5 units
Explanation:
An isosceles triangle is a triangle with two legs that have the same length. The perimeter of a triangle is the sum of the lengths of all sides of the triangle. Now taking this into account, we know that:
2L + B = 14 units
Where:
L is the measure of one leg
B is the measure of the base
Since two legs are the same and the base is 1 less, this means the measure of each leg would be:
B = L -1
Now we have two equations:
2L + B = 14 units
B = L- 1
We plug one equation into the other and make 1 equation:
2L + (L-1) = 14 units
Get rid of the parentheses:
2L + L - 1 = 14
Combine like terms:
3L - 1 = 14
Add 1 to both sides of the equation:
3L - 1 + 1 = 14 + 1
3L = 15
Divide both sides by 3:
3L/3 = 15/3
L = 5
So the length of a leg is 5 units
Let's check!
B = L - 1
B = 5 - 1
B = 4
Then we use that to solve for the perimeter:
2L + B
2(5) + 4
10 + 4 = 14