A plumber has a very long piece of pipe that is used to run city water parallel to a major roadway. The pipe is cut into two sections. One section is 12 ft. shorter than the other. If 34 of the length of the shorter pipe is 120 ft., how long is the longer piece of pipe? Solve algebraically,

Answer 1

Let x = the shorter piece. Let y = the longer piece.

(3/4)x = 120

x = 120 / (3/4)

x = 120 * (4/3 = 480/3 = 160 feet

y = 160 + 12

Answer 2

172 feet