SOLUTION: A 7ft board is cut into 2 pieces so that one piece is 3 feet longer than 3 times the shorter piece. If the shorter piece is x feet long, find the lengths of both pieces. so i se

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Question 294087: A 7ft board is cut into 2 pieces so that one piece is 3 feet longer than 3 times the shorter piece. If the shorter piece is x feet long, find the lengths of both pieces.
so i set up the problem like so: 3x+3+x=7ft and solve, but i get 1 as my answer and when i plug it in it does not equal 7. Did i set it up right? What am i doing wrong? help please.
Answer by stanbon(75887) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
A 7ft board is cut into 2 pieces so that one piece is 3 feet longer than 3 times the shorter piece. If the shorter piece is x feet long, find the lengths of both pieces.
------------------------
shorter piece "x"
----
other piece "3x+3"
-------------------------------
Equation:
x + (3x+3) = 7
4x + 3 = 7
4x = 4
x = 1 ft (length of the shorter piece)
3x+3 = 3*1+3 = 6 ft
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Cheers,
Stan H.