SOLUTION: A 45- foot long speaker wire is to be cut into three pieces. One piece is to be 15 feet long. Of the remaining piece, one must be 2 feet less than 3 times the length of the other.

Algebra ->  Percentage-and-ratio-word-problems -> SOLUTION: A 45- foot long speaker wire is to be cut into three pieces. One piece is to be 15 feet long. Of the remaining piece, one must be 2 feet less than 3 times the length of the other.       Log On


   

Question 191035: A 45- foot long speaker wire is to be cut into three pieces. One piece is to be 15 feet long. Of the remaining piece, one must be 2 feet less than 3 times the length of the other. Find the leght of each piece.
Answer by nerdybill(7384) About Me  (Show Source):
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A 45- foot long speaker wire is to be cut into three pieces. One piece is to be 15 feet long. Of the remaining piece, one must be 2 feet less than 3 times the length of the other. Find the leght of each piece.
.
Let x = length of one section
then
3x-2 = length of second section
15 = length of third section
.
They should add up to 45
x + 3x-2 + 15 = 45
4x + 13 = 45
4x = 32
x = 8 feet
.
second section:
3x-2 = 3(8)-2 = 24-2 = 22 feet
.
The three sections are:
8 feet, 22 feet and 15 feet