Question

A gardener already has four and 2 over 3 ft of fencing in his garage. He wants to fence in a square garden for his flowers. The length of one side of the garden will be three and one over four ft. How much more fencing will the gardener need to purchase?

eight and one over three ft
twelve and three over seven ft
thirteen and one over four ft
eighteen and two over three ft

Answer 1

8 1/3 ft

Explanation:

He has: 4 2/3 ft

One side measures: 3 1/4 ft

A square has 4 congruent sides, so the total amount of fencing he needs is

4 × 3 1/4 ft = 4 × 13/4 ft = 13 ft

The total amount of fencing needed is 13 ft.

He already has 4 2/3 ft.

We subtract to find out the amount he still needs.

13 ft - 4 2/3 ft = 12 3/3 ft - 4 2/3 ft = 8 1/3 ft

Answer: 8 1/3 ft