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The sum of the leg lengths of this triangle needs to be equal to 3482.
| Leg of the Trip | Distance in Miles |
|---|---|
| Des Moines - Phoenix | 1153 |
| Phoenix - Atlanta | 1591 |
| Atlanta - Des Moines | 738 |
We are given that the trip from Des Moines to Phoenix, continuing on to Atlanta, and back to Des Moines was 3482 miles. Let's draw a diagram representing each leg of the trip. Draw a line between each city and label the equations which represent the corresponding distance.
As can be seen, a triangle has been made. It is a given that the sum of the legs lengths, which is the total trip distance, of the given triangle needs to be equal to 3482.
Add terms
LHS-144=RHS-144
.LHS /333.8.=.RHS /333.8.
We have found that the value of x is equal to 10. With this finding, we can then find the distance for each leg of a trip. We can do so by substituting 10 for x in each leg length of the triangle. Refer back to the first diagram for the equations.
| Leg of the trip | x=10 | Distance in miles |
|---|---|---|
| Des Moines - Phoenix | 110( 10)+53 | 1153 |
| Phoenix - Atlanta | 150( 10)+91 | 1591 |
| Atlanta - Des Moines | 73.8( 10) | 738 |