Question

Audrey is also tying ribbons into bows. Audrey sees the same 7 1/2 feet of ribbon measured out and says "Since my bows are bigger than Lura's, that's only enough for me to make 2 1/4 bows." How much ribbon does Audrey use in each bow?

Answer 1

Audrey uses 3 1/3 feet of ribbon for each bow, calculated by dividing the total length of 7 1/2 feet of ribbon by the number of bows she can make, which is 2 1/4.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question asks about the amount of ribbon Audrey uses for each bow given a total length of ribbon. To find this, we divide the total length of ribbon by the number of bows Audrey can make. Audrey has 7 1/2 feet of ribbon and can make 2 1/4 bows with it. To calculate the amount of ribbon for each bow, we convert the mixed numbers to improper fractions first: 7 1/2 feet becomes 15/2 feet and 2 1/4 bows becomes 9/4 bows. Now we divide 15/2 feet by 9/4 bows to determine the length of ribbon per bow.

To divide fractions, we multiply the first fraction by the reciprocal of the second fraction. The reciprocal of 9/4 is 4/9. Therefore, we multiply 15/2 by 4/9, which equals 30/9 or 3 3/9 feet. Simplified, this is 3 1/3 feet. So, Audrey uses 3 1/3 feet of ribbon for each bow.

Answer 2

`\begin{gathered} 7(1)/(2)=(15)/(2) \\ \\ 2(1)/(4)=(9)/(4) \\ \\ \text{ Now, since she needs 15/2 to 9/4, then she needs} \\ \\ ((15)/(2))/((9)/(4))=(60)/(18)=(30)/(9)=(10)/(3) \\ \\ \text{she needs 3}(1)/(3)\text{ to make 1 bow!} \end{gathered}`