Question

A 85 inch piece of pipe is cut into three pieces, so that the second

piece is twice as long as the first piece. The third piece is one inch more
than 3 times the length of the first piece. How long is each piece?

Answer 1

1. 14 in

2. 28 in.

3. 43 in

Explanation:

x 2x 3x + 1

|---------|-------------------|---------------------------|

|<-------------------- 85 in ------------------------>|

85 = x + 2x + 3x + 1

85 - 1 = 6x

x = 84 / 6

x = 14

1st piece = 14 in

2nd piece = 2(14) = 28 in

3rd piece = 3(14) + 1 = 43 in

----------------------------

total = 85 in