Question 201630

Let the second side be s


Since the first side is 3 times the second (same as 2nd side being 1/3 of the first), then first side is 3s


And, since the third side is 2 meters less than the first side, then its length is 3s – 2


Together, their sum is 26. Therefore, the algebraic equation to express this situation is: {{{highlight(s+3s+(3s-2)=26)}}}


Going further, and solving this equation, we can see that the second side, or s, is 4 meters, the first side, or 3s, is 12 (3*4) meters, and the third side, or 3s - 2, is 10 (3*4-2) meters. Altogether, they add up to 26 (4 + 12 + 10) meters, the perimeter of the triangle.