Bernadette bought two pieces of ribbon. One piece is
6 1
4
feet long, and the other is
11 1
2
feet long. Find the total length of the ribbon.
To find the total length of the ribbon, we need to add the lengths of the two pieces together.
First, let's focus on the first piece of ribbon which is 6 1/4 feet long.
To add a whole number and a fraction, first, convert the whole number into a fraction by placing it over a denominator of 1. In this case, 6 can be written as 6/1.
Next, add the two fractions together:
6/1 + 1/4 = (24/4) + 1/4 = 25/4
So, the first piece of ribbon is 25/4 feet long.
Now let's move on to the second piece of ribbon which is 11 1/2 feet long.
Again, convert the whole number into a fraction by placing it over a denominator of 1:
11/1 + 1/2 = (22/2) + 1/2 = 23/2
So, the second piece of ribbon is 23/2 feet long.
To find the total length, add the two fractions together:
25/4 + 23/2
Since the denominators are different, we need to find a common denominator.
The least common multiple (LCM) of 4 and 2 is 4, so we can convert the fractions to have a common denominator of 4:
(25/4) + (23/2) * (2/2) = 25/4 + 46/4 = 71/4
Therefore, the total length of the two pieces of ribbon is 71/4 feet.