To find this, first we subtract the extra 3 feet from the original 27 feet. 27-3=24 Then, we divide the left over length by three. This will provide us with the length for the shorter piece. 24/3=8 The shorter piece will be 8 feet long. Now, we double that to find the longer piece without the additional 3 feet. 8x2=16 And we add those two (8 and 16) together to make sure it is equal to the 24 we divided into 3 earlier. 16+8=24 Now all that's left is to add the extra 3 feet to the 16 feet. 16+3=19 And add that to the 8 feet, to check to make sure the lengths add up to our original 27 feet. 19+8=27 Therefore, the two pieces are the following lengths: Shorter piece: 8 feet Longer piece: 19 feet
