Answer:
12 feet
Explanation:
Let x be the length of the shorter part of the pipe.
According to the problem, the longer part is three times as long as the shorter part. Therefore, the length of the longer part is 3x.
We also know that the sum of the lengths of the two parts is equal to the original length of the pipe, which is 16 feet.
So we can write an equation:
x + 3x = 16
Simplifying this equation, we get:
4x = 16
Dividing both sides by 4, we get:
x = 4
So the length of the shorter part is 4 feet, and the length of the longer part is 3 times as long, or 3 Ă— 4 = 12 feet.