The standard width between rails on north American and most European railroads is 4 ft 8 inches. Calculate this distance in…

a. Centimeters-----142.24cm?
b. meters -------- 1.4 m?

is this correct?

Yes, but why did you throw away the other numbers for meters. Why not 1.4224?

To convert a measurement from feet and inches to centimeters, we need to use the following conversion factors:

1 foot = 30.48 centimeters
1 inch = 2.54 centimeters

First, let's convert the 4 feet:

4 feet x 30.48 centimeters/foot = 121.92 centimeters

Next, we convert the 8 inches:

8 inches x 2.54 centimeters/inch = 20.32 centimeters

Now, we add the two results together to get the total distance:

121.92 centimeters + 20.32 centimeters = 142.24 centimeters

So, the distance between rails on North American and most European railroads is approximately 142.24 centimeters.

Now, let's convert this distance to meters.

1 meter = 100 centimeters

To convert centimeters to meters, we divide the value by 100:

142.24 centimeters ÷ 100 = 1.4224 meters

So, the distance between rails on North American and most European railroads is approximately 1.4224 meters.

Therefore, your calculations are correct!

No, the conversion is not correct. To convert 4 feet 8 inches to centimeters, you would multiply the number of feet by 30.48 (as there are 30.48 centimeters in a foot) and the number of inches by 2.54 (as there are 2.54 centimeters in an inch) and then add them together.

So, the correct conversion would be:

a. 4 feet * 30.48 cm/ft = 121.92 cm + 8 inches * 2.54 cm/inch = 20.32 cm
Total = 142.24 cm

b. To convert centimeters to meters, you divide the number of centimeters by 100.

142.24 cm / 100 = 1.4224 m

So, the correct answers are:

a. 142.24 cm
b. 1.4224 m