Let;
x = the length of the first piece
y=the length of the second piece
z=the length of the third piece
From the question;
"the second piece is twice as long as the first piece" can be written in equation as:
y = 2x
"the third piece is one inch more than five times the length of the first piece"
can be written as :
z= 5x+ 1
Total length of the 3 pieces = 33
This implies:
x + y + z =33
substitute y=2x and z=5x+1 into the above
x + 2x + 5x+1 = 33
8x + 1 = 33
subtract 1 from both-side of the equation
8x = 33 -1
8x = 32
divide both-side of the equation by 8
x= 32/8
x= 4
The length of the first piece is 4-inches