If you needed 3 & 1/2 yards of fabric for the pattern and purchased 5 yards, how many yards will you not use?
If you needed 3 & 1/2 yards of fabric for the pattern and purchased 5 yards, you will not use 5 - 3 & 1/2 = 1 & 1/2 yards of fabric.
To determine how many yards will not be used, we can subtract the amount of fabric needed from the amount purchased:
5 yards - 3 1/2 yards
To subtract a mixed number, we need to first convert it to an improper fraction:
3 1/2 = (2 x 3) + 1 = 7/2
Now, we can subtract:
5 yards - 7/2 yards
To do this, we need a common denominator. The denominator for 5 is already 1, so we will use 2 as the common denominator for 7/2. We can rewrite 5 as 10/2:
10/2 - 7/2 = 3/2
Therefore, you will not use 3/2 yards of fabric.
To find out how many yards you will not use, you need to subtract the amount needed for the pattern from the amount purchased. In this case, you have purchased 5 yards of fabric but only needed 3 ½ yards.
To find the difference, subtract 3 ½ from 5.
5 - 3 ½ = 1 ½ yards
Therefore, you will not use 1 ½ yards of fabric.