Question

Jess takes a board that is 50 inches long and cuts it into two pieces, one of which is 16 inches longer than the other. How long is each piece?

Answer 1

The lengths are 17 in and 33 in.

Explanation:

Let x = the length of the shorter piece

x +x +16=50

2x = 50-16

2x= 34

x= 17

and

x + 16 = 17+ 16

x + 16 = 33

The lengths are 17 in and 33 in.

Check your answer:

17+33=50

Answer 2

Let x = the length of the shorter piece
x+x+16=50in
2x=50-16
2x=34
x=17

Then

x+16=17+16
x+16=33
Subtract 16 from both sides

The lengths are 17in and 33in