Question

A board 55 feet long is cut into two pieces such that the length of one piece is two-thirds of the length of the other piece. find the length of the shorter piece of board.

Answer 1

x + 2/3x = 55

3x + 2x = 165 multiplied both sides by 3 to eliminate the denominator

5x = 165 added like terms

x = 13 divided both sides by 5

(2/3)x = (2/3)13 = 26/3 = 8 2/3

Answer: 8 2/3 ft