Question

A 54-foot piece of siding is cut into three pieces so that the second piece is three times as long as the first piece and the third piece is five times as long as the first piece. If X represents the length of the first piece, find the lengths of all three pieces

Answer 1

The lenght of the first piece is 6 feet.

The lenght of the second piece is 18 feet.

The lenght of the third piece is 30 feet.

Explanation:

Let be:

`x` the lenght of the first piece (in feet).

`3x` the lenght of the second piece (in feet).

`5x` the lenght of the third piece (in feet).

You know that the total lenght of the piece of siding is 54 feet. This means that:

`x+3x+5x=54`

Having this expression, you can solve for "x":

`9x=54\\\\x=(54)/(9)\\\\x=6`

Therefore, the lenght of the first piece is 6 feet.

Then:

`3x=3(6)=18` (The lenght of the second piece is 18 feet)

`5x=5(6)=30` (The lenght of the third piece is 30 feet)