a plumber has 12 1/2 feet of plastic pipe he uses 3 2/8 feet for the sink line and 5 3/4 feet for the washing machine . he needs approximately 3 1/2 feet for a disposal. does he have enough pipe left for a disposal?
Hint: It's a lot easier to change these fractions to decimals.
Then subtract the amount he uses for the sink line and the washing machine from the total amount of pipe.
I'll be glad to check your answer.
To determine if the plumber has enough pipe left for a disposal, we need to find the total amount of pipe used so far and subtract it from the initial amount of pipe.
The plumber used 3 2/8 feet of pipe for the sink line, which can also be written as 3 1/4 feet since 2/8 simplifies to 1/4.
The plumber used 5 3/4 feet of pipe for the washing machine.
To find the total pipe used:
3 1/4 + 5 3/4 = 8 4/4 + 5 3/4 = 13 7/4 = 13 1/4 feet
Next, add the additional pipe needed for the disposal, which is approximately 3 1/2 feet.
To add the pipe needed for the disposal:
13 1/4 + 3 1/2 = 13 2/4 + 3 2/4 = 16 4/4 = 16 feet
Since the plumber has 12 1/2 feet of plastic pipe, and the total pipe needed for the disposal is approximately 16 feet, it means the plumber does NOT have enough pipe left for a disposal.