Question

A 13 inch piece of steel is cut into three pieces so that the second piece is twice as long as first piece, and the third piece is one inch more than three times the length of the first piece. Find the length of the piece

Answer 1

The first piece is 2 inches, the second piece is 4 inches, and the third piece is 7 inches.

Explanation:

Since a 13 inch piece of steel is cut into three pieces so that the second piece is twice as long as first piece, and the third piece is one inch more than three times the length of the first piece, to find the length of the pieces, the following calculation must be performed:

1 = X

2 = 2X

3 = 1 + 3X

X + 2X + 3X + 1 = 13

6X = 13 - 1

X = 12/6

X = 2

Therefore, the first piece is 2 inches, the second piece is 4 inches, and the third piece is 7 inches.