Question

A stick 43 inches long is broken into two pieces, so that one piece is twice as long as the other. How long are the two pieces?

Answer 1

Answer:

One piece is  $\frac{43}{3}$ inches and another piece is $\frac{86}{3}$ inches

Step-by-step explanation:

Let smaller piece length be $s$

Let larger piece length be  $l$

Since total of two pieces is 43, we can write:

$s+l=43$

Also, one piece is twice as long as the other (so longer piece is definitely twice as the short piece), we can write:

$l=2s$

Substituting equation 2 into equation one, we can solve for s:

$s+l=43\\s+(2s)=43\\3s=43\\s=\frac{43}{3}$

Thus longer piece is:

$l=2s=2(\frac{43}{3})=\frac{86}{3}$