document.write( "Question 545824: a man is planning to fence the front part of his property with posts 2m apart. Short of money he decides to make the posts 3 m apart and uses 3 posts less. how wide is the property? \n" ); document.write( "
Algebra.Com's Answer #355743 by Edwin McCravy(20055)![]() ![]() You can put this solution on YOUR website! \r\n" ); document.write( "There is 1 more post than there are sections of fence between the posts.\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "He was originally planning to have N posts and N-1 2m sections of fence\r\n" ); document.write( "between the posts, like this:\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "| 2m | 2m | 2m | 2m | 2m | .... | 2m |\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "But short of money he decided to have N-3 posts and N-4 3m sections of\r\n" ); document.write( "fence between the posts instead, like this:\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "| 3m | 3m | 3m | 3m | ... | 3m |\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "So (N-1)×2 = (N-4)×3\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( " \r\n" ); document.write( " 2(N-1) = 3(N-4)\r\n" ); document.write( " 2N - 2 = 3N - 12\r\n" ); document.write( " -N = -10\r\n" ); document.write( " N = 10\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "So he was going to have 10 posts and 9 2m sections of fence between\r\n" ); document.write( "them, so his property is 9×2m = 18m wide.\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "To check: Instead he used 7 posts and 6 3m sections of fence between\r\n" ); document.write( "them, so his property is 6×3m = 18m wide. \r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "So both ways his property is 18m wide.\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "Edwin\n" ); document.write( " |