Adam has a wire which is 100 cm long.
He cuts the wire into 3 pieces.
The first piece is 5 times as long as the second piece.
The third piece is 40 cm long.
- Find the total length of the first and third pieces.
- Find the difference in length between the second and the third piece.
(a)
Focus on the sentence with the word '
times'.
Assign 1 u to the variable that is found after the word '
times'.
Length of second piece = 1 u
Length of first piece = 5 u
Length of third piece = 40 cm
Length of the second and the third pieces
= 100 - 40
= 60 cm
5 u + 1 u = 60
6 u = 60
1 u = 60 ÷ 6 = 10
Total length of the first and third pieces
= 5 u + 40
= 5 x 10 + 40
= 50 + 40
= 90 cm
(b)
Difference in length between the second and the third piece
= 40 - 10
= 30 cm
Answer(s): (a) 90 cm; (b) 30 cm