Asked by Zoe

The tail of a kite is 1.5 feet plus twice the length of the kite. Together, the kite and tail are 15.5 ft long. Find the length of the tail. Show your work.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Let k = length of the kite (ft) and t = length of the tail (ft).

From the problem:
t = 1.5 + 2k
k + t = 15.5

Substitute t into the second equation:
k + (1.5 + 2k) = 15.5
3k + 1.5 = 15.5
3k = 14
k = 14/3 = 4 2/3 ft

Now find t:
t = 1.5 + 2(14/3) = 3/2 + 28/3 = 65/6 = 10 5/6 ft ≈ 10.8333 ft

Answer: The tail is 65/6 ft (10 5/6 ft).