A railroad bridge is built over a V-shaped canyon. If the supports are 3 feet long at each end, the center support is 253 feet long, and the supports increase in length by 2 feet with each support (from 3 feet to 253 feet),
What is the total length of all the supports?
A) 32,003 feet
B) 32,001 feet
C) 32,000 feet
D) 32,005 feet

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The total length of all the supports is 32,003 feet. This is because there are 125 supports, each of which is 2 feet longer than the previous one. The first support is 3 feet long, the second is 5 feet long, the third is 7 feet long, and so on. The 125th support is 253 feet long. The total length of all the supports is 3 + 5 + 7 + ... + 253 = 32,003 feet.

A Railroad Bridge Is Built Over a V-Shaped Canyon