SOLUTION: a fishing line x=7 feet long is cut into two pieces, one shorter. Express the length of the shorter piece in terms of the length of the longer piece.

Question 812435: a fishing line x=7 feet long is cut into two pieces, one shorter. Express the length of the shorter piece in terms of the length of the longer piece.
Found 2 solutions by richwmiller, jsmallt9:
Answer by richwmiller(17219) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
a+b=7,
a < b
Answer by jsmallt9(3758) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
When solving word problems, it is usually easier if you minimize the number of variables that are used. In your problem there are two unknowns. But it asks you to use just one variable to express both of them so that you can practice minimizing the number of variables that you use.

A fairly common situation is where you have two unknowns but you know what they add up to. This is your problem. You have two pieces of a fishing line, a longer one and a shorter one. You do not know what they are individually but you so know what they add up to: 7.

To use just one variable in this situation, make the variable represent one of the unknowns. Then the other unknown will be:
total - variable.
In your problem...
Let p = the length of the longer piece. Then...
7 - p = the length of the shorter piece.

Another example: Supplementary angles. (Supplementary angles are two angles whose measures add up to 180.) So:
Let q = the measure of one of the angles. Then...
180 - q = the measure of the other angle.
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