a 100- foot cable is cut into two pieces.the first piece is 18 ft longer than the second. how long is each piece

Total length (given) ie. a+b = 100

a = b + 18

We can rewrite this b = a -18

Now solve it the normal way.

substitute for b in the first equation

a + b = 100

a + a - 18 = 100

2a -18 = 100

2a = 100 + 18

2a = 118

a = 59

To get b:

go to equation and apply value of a in b = a -18

b = 59- 18

ie. b = 41

to verify:

a + b should be = 100

a= 59 b = 41

59 + 41 = 100 !

Bingo!

Done! Hope this helps.

The answer is 59 ft, 41 ft. X would equal 59 while y would equal 41

Let's assume the length of the second piece of the cable is x feet.

According to the problem, the length of the first piece is 18 feet longer than the second piece. So, the length of the first piece can be expressed as x + 18 feet.

The total length of the cable is given as 100 feet.

Therefore, the sum of the lengths of both pieces should be equal to the total length, which is 100 feet.

So, x + (x + 18) = 100.

Simplifying the equation, we get:

2x + 18 = 100.

Subtracting 18 from both sides, we have:

2x = 82.

Dividing both sides by 2, we get:

x = 41.

So, the length of the second piece is 41 feet.

Now, we can calculate the length of the first piece:

First piece = x + 18 = 41 + 18 = 59 feet.

Therefore, the first piece is 59 feet long and the second piece is 41 feet long.

To solve this problem, let's call the length of the second piece of the cable "x". According to the problem, the first piece is 18 feet longer than the second piece. So, the length of the first piece would be "x + 18".

Since the total length of the cable is 100 feet, we can set up the equation:

x + (x + 18) = 100

Now, let's solve this equation.

Combine like terms:
2x + 18 = 100

Subtract 18 from both sides:
2x = 82

Divide both sides by 2:
x = 41

Now we know that the second piece of the cable is 41 feet long.

To find the length of the first piece, we can substitute this value back into the equation:

x + 18 = 41 + 18 = 59

Therefore, the first piece is 59 feet long, and the second piece is 41 feet long.