Answer:
9 inches
Step-by-step explanation:
Do the question algebraically, represented by this equation:
let x be the shorter piece
x + (x + 8) = 26 (longer piece is 8 units longer)
Remove brackets
x + x + 8 = 26 Combine like terms
2x + 8 = 26 Start isolating "x"
2x + 8 - 8 = 26 - 8 Subtract 8 from both sides
2x = 18
2x/2 = 18/2 Divide both sides by 2
x = 9 shorter piece
The shorter piece would be 9 inches.
If you needed the longer piece too:
longer piece = x + 8
x + 8
= 9 + 8
= 17
The longer piece would be 17 inches.
Check your answer:
Longer + Shorter = 26 Substitute the lengths
17 + 9 = 26 Add
26 = 26 same number
LS = RS left side equals right side
The answer is correct.
The maximum profit is the y-coordinate of the vertex of the parabola represented by the equation.

The maximum value is 6400, but the profit is given in hundreds of dollars, so multiply the value by 100.
The maximum profit the company can make is $640,000.