Answer:
Since
x
is 8 in. shorter than the second side, we know that we'd need to add 8 to
x
to get the length of the second side. So the second side is
x
+
8
. (Think, if the first side is 2 inches and it is 8 inches shorter than the second side, the second side must be 10 inches, so this works.)
The third side is 4 times the length of the first side, so the third side is
4
x
.
Perimeter is the sum of the sides, so:
(
x
)
+
(
x
+
8
)+
4
x
=
6
x+
8
We also know the perimeter is 26, so we have:
6
x
+
8
=26
subtract 8:
6
x
=18
divide:
x
=
3
.
The three sides have length: 3, 11, and 12.
The longest side is 12 inches long.
Step-by-step explanation: