document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=73296>Question 73296</A>This question is from textbook <A HREF=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0618386807/algebrahomeworkh>college algebra</A><BR>\n" );
document.write( ": <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> I need your help please, A triangle has a perimeter of 161 miles. Each of the two smaller sides are two thirds the length of the longest side. Find the length of each side of the triangle. </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #52485 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=Earlsdon><B>Earlsdon(6294)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=Earlsdon><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/nopicture.jpg><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=52485\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> From the problem description, we can see that the triangle is an isosceles triangle. So we let the two equal sides be of length a and the third side, length b.<BR>\n" );
document.write( "As you no doubt already know, the perimeter of a triangle is equal to the sum of the three sides, so P = a+a+b = 2a+b<BR>\n" );
document.write( "But you are told that p = 161 miles, so now you can write the equation required to solve the problem:<BR>\n" );
document.write( "161 = 2a+b<BR>\n" );
document.write( "You also know that each of the two equal sides (a) is equal to two-thirds of the third side (b). This can be written: <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=a+=+%282%2F3%29b ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"a+=+%282%2F3%29b\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >.  Now you want to substitute this relationship into the equation for the perimeter.<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=161+=+2%282%2F3%29b%2Bb ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"161+=+2%282%2F3%29b%2Bb\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > Simplify and solve for b.<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=161+=+%284%2F3%29b%2Bb ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"161+=+%284%2F3%29b%2Bb\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=161+=+%287%2F3%29b ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"161+=+%287%2F3%29b\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > Multiply both sides by the multiplicative inverse of <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=7%2F3 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"7%2F3\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >, that's <IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=3%2F7 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"3%2F7\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >.<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=161%283%2F7%29+=+b ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"161%283%2F7%29+=+b\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" > Simplify.<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=23%2A3+=+b ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"23%2A3+=+b\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=b+=+69 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"b+=+69\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >mil;es. This is the length of the longest side.<BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=a+=+%282%2F3%29b ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"a+=+%282%2F3%29b\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=a+=+%282%2F3%2969 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"a+=+%282%2F3%2969\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=a+=+46 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"a+=+46\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" >miles. This is the length of each of the short sides.<BR>\n" );
document.write( "Check:<BR>\n" );
document.write( "46+46+69 = 161 </SPAN>\n" );
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