Question

You have two straight lengths of wood. How can you cut one of them so that one of the three pieces is the average length of the other two?

Answer 1

Let the lengths of each piece = a

 

One is cut at length of p

 

The other length = a - p

 

p = the average of a and a-p

 

p = (a+a-p)/2

 

2p = 2a-p

 

3p = 2a

 

p/a = 2/3

 

One length is cut in the ratio = 2 : 1