Ruth is putting up a framed map of South America in her room. She wants it exactly halfway between her door and her closet, which are 6.5 feet apart. If the map is 23 inches wide, how far will its sides be from the door and closet?

6.5 * 12 = 78 inches

(78 - 23) / 2 = ______ inches

To solve this problem, let's first convert the measurements into the same unit. Since both the distance between the door and the closet (6.5 feet) and the width of the map (23 inches) are in different units, let's convert inches to feet.

1. Converting the width of the map from inches to feet:
We know that 1 foot is equal to 12 inches. So, to convert 23 inches to feet, we divide it by 12:
23 inches / 12 inches = 1.9167 feet (rounded to 4 decimal places)

Now that we have converted the width of the map to feet, we can proceed with the calculations.

2. Finding the center point between the door and the closet:
Since Ruth wants to hang the map exactly halfway between her door and her closet, we need to find the mid-point. To do that, we divide the distance between the door and closet by 2:
6.5 feet / 2 = 3.25 feet

Now we have the distance from the door or the closet to the center of the map.

3. Finding the distance from the door and the closet to the sides of the map:
To determine the distance from the center of the map to each side, we subtract half of the map's width from the distance to the center.

For the distance from the door:
3.25 feet - 1.9167 feet = 1.3333 feet (rounded to 4 decimal places)

For the distance from the closet:
3.25 feet - 1.9167 feet = 1.3333 feet (rounded to 4 decimal places)

Therefore, the sides of the map will be approximately 1.3333 feet away from both the door and the closet.