Question

850' of #2 wire is sent to your job. On Monday, you cut 3 pieces, each 175' long. On Tuesday, you cut 3 pieces, each 88' long, and 3 pieces, each 20' long. How much wire is left on the reel?

Answer 1

The remaining wire (W) is just the original wire (850') minus the cut wire on Monday, Tuesday...

`W=850^(\prime)-3\cdot175^(\prime)-3\cdot88^(\prime)-3\cdot20^(\prime)=1^(\prime)`

There is merely 1' of wire in the reel.