Ms. DiSalvatore

Ms. DiSalvatore has 31 ½ feet of ribbon that she will use for a class project. Each student needs to have 1 ¾ foot of ribbon. How many students will she be able to give an equal amount of ribbon?

Correct answer:

n =  18

Step-by-step explanation:

$$\begin{gathered} a=31\frac{1}{2}=31+\frac{1}{2}=\frac{31\cdot 2+1}{2}=\frac{62+1}{2}=\frac{63}{2}=31\frac{1}{2}=31.5\text{ft} \\ b=1\frac{3}{4}=1+\frac{3}{4}=\frac{1\cdot 4+3}{4}=\frac{4+3}{4}=\frac{7}{4}=1\frac{3}{4}=1.75\text{ft} \\ {n}_1=a/b=\frac{63}{2}/\frac{7}{4}=\frac{63}{2}:\frac{7}{4}=\frac{63}{2}\cdot \frac{4}{7}=\frac{63\cdot 4}{2\cdot 7}=\frac{252}{14}=18 \\ n=\lfloor n_1\rfloor =\lfloor 18\rfloor =18 \end{gathered}$$

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