Question

Pablo folds a straw into a triangle with side lengths of 4x2 – 3 inches, 4x2 – 2 inches, and 4x2 – 1 inches. The perimeter of the triangle is 12x2 – 6 inches. If x = 1.5, what was the length of the straw before it was folded?

Answer 1

The perimeter is the sum of the lengths of the traingle. So,
P = 12x2 - 6
Plugging in the given value of x,
P = 12 (1.5)^2 - 6
P = 21 inches

Assuming that the ends of the straw are not overlapping in forming the triangle, the perimeter is just equal to the original length of the straw.