SOLUTION: 36ft fishing line is cut to where the longer length is 6ft longer than the shorter length, what is the length of the shorter line?

Question 674137: 36ft fishing line is cut to where the longer length is 6ft longer than the shorter length, what is the length of the shorter line?
Answer by mary164(1) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
We have two pieces of fishing line so lets call their length x and y.
Their sum is equal to 36, so x+y=36.
Let x be the shorter length and y the longer.
If we express the value of y in terms of x we get the equation y=X+6. Because x is the shorter length and y is 6 more than the shorter length.
Now we replace y in our equation and solve for x.
X+y=36
x+(x+6)=36 collect like terms
2x+6=36 minus 6 in both sides
2x=30 divide by 2 in both sides
x=15
so the shorter piece of fishing line is 15 ft long.
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