Adam has a thread which is 230 cm long.
He cuts the thread into 3 pieces.
The first piece is 3 times as long as the second piece.
The third piece is 210 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 = 3 u
Length of third piece = 210 cm
Length of the second and the third pieces
= 230 - 210
= 20 cm
3 u + 1 u = 20
4 u = 20
1 u = 20 ÷ 4 = 5
Total length of the first and third pieces
= 3 u + 210
= 3 x 5 + 210
= 15 + 210
= 225 cm
(b)
Difference in length between the second and the third piece
= 210 - 5
= 205 cm
Answer(s): (a) 225 cm; (b) 205 cm