A piece of wire 28 m long is cut into two pieces. One piece is bent into a square and the other is bent into an equilateral triangle. (a) How much wire should be used for the square in order to maximize the total area?

m∠a is 90°

m∠b is 40°

3 3 6, because in every triangle the longer side is always shorter than the sum of the other two

step-by-step explanation:

let pq = qr = rs = x, and xz = y and zu = z.

if the horizontal lines are parallel, then corresponding segments are in proportion:

substitute:

therefore 3 = y = z.

xu = y + z → xu = 3 + 3 = 6