Question

A 8-ft piece of PVC pipe is cut into three pieces. The longest piece is 12 in longer than twice the smallest piece. The middle pieceis 8 in less than the longest piece. How long is each piece? Round your answers to the nearest inch, if necessary.

Answer 1

Step 1: Let's find the length of the three pieces of PVC pipe, this way:

• Smaller piece = x

,

• Longest piece = 2x + 12 (12 in longer than twice the smallest piece)

,

• Middle piece = (2x + 12) - 8 (8 in less than the longest piece)

Step 2: Let's recall that 1 foot = 12 inches, thus:

8 feet = 96 inches

Step 3: Now, we can write the equation to solve for x, as follows:

x + 2x + 12 + 2x + 12 - 8 = 96

5x + 16 = 96

5x = 96 - 16

5x = 80

You can solve it now and for finding the length of the pieces you replace on step 1:

x

2x + 12

2x + 12 - 8