Why would you want to solve a literal equation for a variable when you could simply plug in known values and then solve the resulting linear equation?

Aline parallel to a triangle's side splits ab into lengths of x - 5 and x + 2. the other side, ac, is split into lengths of x and x + 12. what is the length of ac? a) 12 b) 24 c) 36 d)

The administrator of a large assisted living facility wanted to know the average age of the residents living at the facility. he randomly selected 12 residents and determined their age, listed here: 80, 65, 75, 83, 68, 73, 88, 79, 94, 72, 79, 68 what's the average age of the sample of residents? a. 79 years old b. 68 years old c. 75 years old d. 77 years old

Given the two similar triangles, how do i find the missing length? if a=4, b=5, and b'=7.5 find a'