A triangle has a perimeter of 32 inches. The medium side is 7 more than the short side, and the longest side is 3 times the length of the shortest side. Find the shortest side.

32=s+m+l
m=s+7
l=3s
32=s+m+l
32=s+s+7+3s
32=5s+7
-7 -7
25/5s=5s/5s
5=s

https://www.jiskha.com/questions/1757694/A-triangle-has-a-perimeter-of-32-inches-The-medium-side-is-7-more-than-the-short

To find the shortest side of the triangle, we need to solve the given equations. Let's start by assigning variables to the sides of the triangle:

Let s be the length of the shortest side.
Since the medium side is 7 more than the short side, we can say m = s + 7.
Similarly, the longest side is 3 times the length of the shortest side, so l = 3s.

Now, we can use the equation for the perimeter of a triangle, which states that the sum of the lengths of all three sides is equal to the perimeter:

s + (s + 7) + 3s = 32

Combining like terms, we get:

5s + 7 = 32

Next, we can isolate the variable by subtracting 7 from both sides:

5s = 32 - 7
5s = 25

Finally, divide both sides by 5 to solve for s:

s = 25 / 5
s = 5

Therefore, the shortest side of the triangle is 5 inches.

Is this right