Adam has a thread which is 130 cm long.
He cuts the thread into 3 pieces.
The first piece is 4 times as long as the second piece.
The third piece is 100 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 = 4 u
Length of third piece = 100 cm
Length of the second and the third pieces
= 130 - 100
= 30 cm
4 u + 1 u = 30
5 u = 30
1 u = 30 ÷ 5 = 6
Total length of the first and third pieces
= 4 u + 100
= 4 x 6 + 100
= 24 + 100
= 124 cm
(b)
Difference in length between the second and the third piece
= 100 - 6
= 94 cm
Answer(s): (a) 124 cm; (b) 94 cm