59.8k views
2 votes
A 13-foot piece of string is cut into two pieces so that the longer piece is 4 feet longer than twice the shorter piece. find the lengths of both pieces

User CiaPan
by
6.2k points

2 Answers

6 votes

Final answer:

The shorter piece of the string is 3 feet long, and the longer piece is 10 feet long. These lengths satisfy the condition that the longer piece is 4 feet longer than twice the length of the shorter piece, with the total length of the string being 13 feet.

Step-by-step explanation:

To solve this problem, we need to set up an equation based on the given information, which tells us that the longer piece of string is 4 feet longer than twice the shorter piece. Let's call the shorter piece of string x feet long. Therefore, the longer piece would be 2x + 4 feet long since it is 4 feet longer than twice the length of the shorter piece.

The total length of the string is 13 feet. We can represent this as an equation: x (shorter piece) + 2x + 4 (longer piece) = 13 feet (total length). When we solve this equation for x, we get the length of both pieces.

Combining like terms, we get 3x + 4 = 13. Subtract 4 from both sides to get 3x = 9. Dividing both sides by 3, we find that x = 3. So, the shorter piece is 3 feet long, and the longer piece is 2(3) + 4 = 10 feet long.

User Luuk Schoenmakers
by
5.8k points
4 votes
L + S = 13
L = S + 4

S + 4 + S = 13
2S = 9
S = 9/2 =
S = 4.5 ft

L = 4.5 + 4
L = 8.5 ft
User Amanteaux
by
6.4k points