Question

A 7ft board is to be cut into three pieces, two equal length ones and the third 6 inches shorter than each of the other two. If the cutting does not result in any length being lost, how long are the pieces?

Answer 1

The two boards of equal length are 30 inches long, and the third board is 24 inches long

Explanation:

First, convert the length of the board to inches. There are 12 inches in a foot, so multiply 7 by 12:

7(12)

= 84

Let x represent the length of the two boards of equal length. The length of the third board can be represented by x - 6, since it is 6 inches shorter than the other two.

Create an equation to represent this and solve for x:

(x) + (x) + (x - 6) = 84

3x - 6 = 84

3x = 90

x = 30

So, the two boards of equal length are 30 inches long.

Subtract 6 from this to find the length of the third board:

30 - 6

= 24

The two boards of equal length are 30 inches long, and the third board is 24 inches long.