Mary bought 14 1/2 yards of material for tablecloths and napkins. If she needs 8 more yards for tablecloths than napkins, how many yards will she use for napkins?

To find out how many yards Mary will use for napkins, we can set up an equation based on the given information.

Let's assume x represents the number of yards Mary needs for napkins. Since she needs 8 more yards for tablecloths than napkins, the number of yards for tablecloths can be represented as x + 8.

The total number of yards Mary bought is 14 1/2 yards. This can also be written as 14.5 yards.

Now we can create an equation to solve for x:

x + (x + 8) = 14.5

By combining like terms, the equation becomes:

2x + 8 = 14.5

Next, we isolate the variable x by subtracting 8 from both sides of the equation:

2x = 14.5 - 8
2x = 6.5

Finally, we solve for x by dividing both sides of the equation by 2:

x = 6.5 / 2
x = 3.25

Therefore, Mary will use 3.25 yards for napkins.