Answer:
Step-by-step explanation:
The lengths can be found by considering their ratio:
short : long = 1 : 5
The sum of the ratio units is 1+5 = 6, and the sum of the lengths is 144 inches. That means each "ratio unit" stands for (144 in)/6 = 24 inches of length.
The lengths are ...
1 : 5 = 24 in : 120 in
The pieces are 24 inches and 120 inches in length.
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Equivalently, you can let s represent the shorter length. Then 5s is the longer one, and their total is ...
s +5s = 144
s = 144/6 = 24
5s = 5(24) = 120
The lengths are 24 inches and 120 inches.
