SOLUTION: a 56-foot piece of siding is cut into three pieces so that the second piece is three times as long as the first piece and the third piece is four times as long as the first piece.

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Question 1126551: a 56-foot piece of siding is cut into three pieces so that the second piece is three times as long as the first piece and the third piece is four times as long as the first piece. if x represents the length of the first piece find the lengths of all three pieces.
Found 2 solutions by ikleyn, josgarithmetic:
Answer by ikleyn(52838) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
.
Let x represents the length of the first piece.


Then the length of the second piece is 3x and the length of the third piece is 4x, according to the condition.


Then the whole piece length equation is


    x + 3x + 4x = 56,    or

    8x = 56,             which implies

    x = 56/8 = 7 feet.


Answer.  The pieces are  7 ft,  7*3 = 21 ft  and  7*4 = 28 ft long.


Be aware :   The answer by  @josgarithmetic  "x = 8"  is  W R O N G !

Simply ignore it for your safety.



Answer by josgarithmetic(39623) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
First            x
Second          3x
Third           4x
TOTAL           56

The very few steps can be done in your head.
x=8