Question

A piece of wood is 5 m long. It is cut into pieces. The lengths of the pieces are in the ratio 4:3:2:1. The longest piece is then cut in the ratio 4:1 so that there are now five pieces. How long is the smallest piece?​

Answer 1

0.4

Explanation:

4+3+2+1 =10

5m÷10 =0.5

(0.5×4=2, 0.5×3=1.5, 0.5×2=1, 0.5×1=0.5)

2 : 1.5 : 1 : 0.5

longest piece= 2 (2m)

4+1= 5

2÷5= 0.4

(0.4×4=1.6, 0.4×1=0.4)

1.6 : 0.4

so the shortest piece is 0.4!