Question

A water bottle is 9 paper clips high. If 3.5 paper clips = 1 pen, how tall is the water bottle in pens?

a) 2 pens
b) 2.57 pens
c) 3 pens
d) 3.86 pens

Answer 1

To find the height of the water bottle in pens, divide its height in paper clips by the conversion ratio of paper clips to pens. It is 9 paper clips high and with 3.5 paper clips per pen, we calculate the height as 2.57 pens.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks how tall a water bottle is in terms of pens when it is known to be 9 paper clips high and 3.5 paper clips equal 1 pen. To find out the height in pens, we need to divide the height in paper clips by the number of paper clips per pen.

Firstly, we establish the conversion ratio:
3.5 paper clips = 1 pen.

Then, we use this ratio to convert the height of the water bottle from paper clips to pens:

1. Identify the height of the water bottle in paper clips: 9 paper clips.
2. Use the conversion ratio to calculate the height in pens: 9 paper clips / 3.5 paper clips per pen.
3. Perform the division: 9 / 3.5 = 2.57 pens.

Therefore, the height of the water bottle is 2.57 pens, which corresponds to option (b).