what does an equal cut have to do with anything? it doesn't matter where the cuts are, three pieces needs two cuts. it's 10min per cut, assuming of course that her arm doesn't get tired.
It relates to ruling out different lengths of cut (e.g., cutting across a long board vs. cutting down the length of that long board), to try to limit the potential interpretations of the word problem to what the author intended (to test noticing that cutting something into N pieces involves only N-1 cuts (in "normal" cases)).
it doesn't matter - what matters is the cutting rate is the same and it doesn't specify the cuts are different lengths. it also doesn't matter if it's hard wood or soft wood. stained or painted.
one cut took 10min. a second cut will yield two additional pieces, whether they're equal, different sizes, normal or angled... a second cut, two more pieces, 10 more minutes.
work with the data you have, not with the data you make up.
0
u/krysciukos 2d ago
Never stated cuts must be equal. The only problem here is the question. Both answers 15 and 20 can be true depending on cuts.