SOLUTION: A 34-foot-long speaker wire is to be cut into three pieces. One piece is to be 12 feet long. Of the remaining pieces, one must be 3 feet less than 4 times the length of the other.

Algebra ->  Coordinate Systems and Linear Equations  -> Linear Equations and Systems Word Problems -> SOLUTION: A 34-foot-long speaker wire is to be cut into three pieces. One piece is to be 12 feet long. Of the remaining pieces, one must be 3 feet less than 4 times the length of the other.       Log On


   

Question 343333: A 34-foot-long speaker wire is to be cut into three pieces. One piece is to be 12 feet long. Of the remaining pieces, one must be 3 feet less than 4 times the length of the other. Find the length of the shorter piece.

Answer by Fombitz(32388) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Let A and B be the unknown lengths,
A%2BB%2B12=34
A=4B-3
Substitute,
4B-3%2BB%2B12=34
5B%2B9=34
5B=25
highlight%28B=5%29
Then,
A=4%285%29-3
A=20-3
highlight%28A=17%29