Question

a 54-inch board is to be cut into three pieces so that the second piece is 3 times as long as the first piece and the third piece is 5 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

x + 3x + 5x = 54

Combine like terms

9x = 54

x = 6

Now we know that the base length, x, is equal to 6.

From there, we can find the length of the other values as well.

Second piece: 3x = 18

Third piece: 5x = 30