A math book is 1 2/5 in. thick. How many book will fit on a shelf that is 3 ft. wide?
To solve this problem, we need to convert the measurements to the same units.
1 foot = 12 inches
3 ft. = 3 * 12 = 36 inches
Now, let's find out how many books can fit on the shelf.
Each book is 1 2/5 inches thick.
To find the number of books, we divide the width of the shelf (36 inches) by the thickness of one book (1 2/5 inches):
36 / (1 2/5)
To simplify the division, we can convert the mixed number into an improper fraction:
36 / (7/5)
To divide by a fraction, we multiply by its reciprocal:
36 * (5/7)
Multiplying across:
(36*5) / 7 = 180 / 7 ≈ 25.714285714285715
Therefore, approximately 25 books can fit on the shelf.