Question

A 640 m wire is cut into three pieces. The second piece is 3 times as long as the first. The third piece is 4 times as long as the second. How long is each piece?​

Answer 1

1st piece = 40m, 2nd piece = 120m, third piece = 480m

Explanation:

Let the first piece have length x. Then the second and third pieces will have lengths 3x and 12x respectively. As the orginial wire is 640m long,

x + 3x + 12x = 640

Solving for x we get:

16x = 640

x = 40

And hence the other two pieces have lengths of 120m and 480m.