Don is planting flowers in the school garden's planter box. The planting are is five and one-half feet long and 10 inches wide. Each plant is 2 inches wide. There must be 8 inches of space between the flowers. What is the largest number of plants he can put into the planter box? Using complete sentences, explain (in detail) your reasons for your answer. You many draw a picture or some other illustration,, but it must still be accompanied by complete sentences explaining your placement of the plants.
Please explain.
To determine the largest number of plants Don can put into the planter box, we need to calculate how many plants can fit in the given dimensions while leaving an 8-inch space between them.
First, let's convert the dimensions into the same units. Since we want to determine the number of plants, it's better to work with a consistent unit, such as inches.
The length of the planter box is given as 5 and one-half feet. Since 1 foot is equal to 12 inches, we can convert it to inches by multiplying 5.5 by 12, which gives us 66 inches.
The width of the planter box is given as 10 inches.
Now, let's calculate how many plants can fit in the length of the planter box. We need to subtract the 8-inch spacing from the total length, and then divide the remaining length by the width of each plant.
66 inches (total length) - 8 inches (spacing) = 58 inches (remaining length)
58 inches (remaining length) / 2 inches (width of each plant) = 29 plants
Therefore, 29 plants can fit along the length of the planter box.
Next, let's calculate how many plants can fit in the width of the planter box. We need to divide the width by the width of each plant.
10 inches (width of planter box) / 2 inches (width of each plant) = 5 plants
Therefore, 5 plants can fit along the width of the planter box.
To find the total number of plants that can fit in the planter box, we multiply the number of plants along the length by the number of plants along the width:
29 plants (length) * 5 plants (width) = 145 plants
Therefore, the largest number of plants Don can put into the planter box is 145.
To illustrate the placement of the plants, you can create a grid with a length of 58 inches and a width of 10 inches. Divide the length into sections of 2 inches (plant width) with 8-inch spacing between them. Each section can accommodate 5 plants. Repeat this pattern for the width of the planter box, which can accommodate 29 sections of plants.