SOLUTION: Each side of an equilateral triangle is 4 cm longer than the side of a square. The sum of the perimeters of the two figures is 96 cm. How long is each side of the triangle?

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Question 211729: Each side of an equilateral triangle is 4 cm longer than the side of a square. The sum of the perimeters of the two figures is 96 cm. How long is each side of the triangle?
Found 2 solutions by checkley77, MathTherapy:
Answer by checkley77(12844) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
3(x+3)+4*x=96
3x+9+4x=96
7x=96-9
7x=87
x=87/7
x=12.42857 cm. is the side of the square.
Proof:
3(12.42857+3)+4*12.42857=96
3*15.42857+49.71428=96
46.28571+49.71428=96
96~96

Answer by MathTherapy(10552) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Each side of an equilateral triangle is 4 cm longer than the side of a square. The sum of the perimeters of the two figures is 96 cm. How long is each side of the triangle?

Let each side of the square be S

Since each side of the triangle is 4 cm longer than each side of the square, then each side of the triangle is (S + 4)

The perimeter of the square would be 4S (all sides are equal)

The perimeter of the equilateral triangle is 3(S + 4), or 3S + 12

Since the sum of both perimeters equals 96, then we have:
4S + 3S + 12 = 96
7S = 84
= 12 cm

Therefore, each side of the square, or S, equals 12, which makes each side of the triangle (12 + 4) cm.