A pelican flies 2 and 1/4 feet above the surface of the ocean. A dolphin swims 10 and 1/2 feet below the surface. How far apart are the dolphin and the pelican? Show your work.
I got 8 and 1/4. I think it's right but I just want to get another's persons opinion.
That can't be right because it's less than the dolphin is below the surface.
2 1/4 + 10 2/4 = 12 3/4
Thank you. I see what I did wrong now.
I like your answer. I agree with you
To find the distance between the dolphin and the pelican, we need to add the distance above the surface for the pelican and the distance below the surface for the dolphin.
The pelican flies 2 and 1/4 feet above the surface, which can be written as a mixed number. To convert it to an improper fraction, we multiply the whole number (2) by the denominator (4) and add the numerator (1). So, 2 and 1/4 can be written as (2 * 4 + 1)/4, which equals 9/4.
The dolphin swims 10 and 1/2 feet below the surface, which can also be written as a mixed number. Converting it to an improper fraction, we have (10 * 2 + 1)/2, which equals 21/2.
Now, we add the distances:
9/4 + 21/2
To add fractions, we need a common denominator. The least common multiple (LCM) of the denominators 4 and 2 is 4. We can rewrite 21/2 as an equivalent fraction with a denominator of 4: (21/2) * (2/2) = 42/4.
Now we can add:
9/4 + 42/4 = 51/4
So, the pelican and dolphin are 51/4 feet apart. This can also be written as a mixed number: (51 /4) = 12 and 3/4.
Therefore, the distance between the dolphin and the pelican is 12 and 3/4 feet.