Steven bought a piece of meat and cut it into three pieces. The mass of the first piece of meat was 5/8 of the mass of the second piece of meat. The mass of the second piece of meat was 4/7 of the mass of the third piece of meat.

Question

a. Find the ratio of the mass of the first piece of meat to that of the second piece of meat to that of the third piece of meat.
b. What is the ratio of the mass of the second piece of meat to the total mass of the three pieces of meat?
c. What fraction of the total mass of the three pieces of meat was the mass of the third piece of meat?

Answer 1

third piece ---- x
2nd piece = (4/7)x
1st piece = (5/8)(4/7)x = (5/14)x

a) ratio of 1st : 2nd : third
= (5/14)x : (4/7) : x
= 5/14 : 4/7 : 1
= 5 : 8 : 14

b) do the same way

c) add up the 3 pieces
x + (4/7)x + (5/14)x
= (14x + 8x + 5x)/14 = (27/14)x

first : total = (5/14) x : (27/14) x
= 5 : 27

check my arithmetic