Edgar needed to cut a piece of wood into two smaller segments. The shorter piece was 1 yard longer than half the longer piece. If the length of the entire piece of wood was 7 yards, what is the length of each piece?

Answer 1

Let x be the length of the longer piece of wood. Then the length of the shorter piece is (1/2)x + 1. We know that the entire piece of wood is 7 yards long, so:

x + (1/2)x + 1 = 7

Simplifying:

(3/2)x + 1 = 7

Subtracting 1 from both sides:

(3/2)x = 6

Dividing both sides by 3/2:

x = 4

Therefore, the longer piece of wood is 4 yards long, and the shorter piece is (1/2)4 + 1 = 3 yards long.