Adam has a wire which is 320 cm long.
He cuts the wire into 3 pieces.
The first piece is 4 times as long as the second piece.
The third piece is 290 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 = 290 cm
Length of the second and the third pieces
= 320 - 290
= 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 + 290
= 4 x 6 + 290
= 24 + 290
= 314 cm
(b)
Difference in length between the second and the third piece
= 290 - 6
= 284 cm
Answer(s): (a) 314 cm; (b) 284 cm