Final answer:
To find the total acres of land owned by the Matthews family, we add the areas of the two lots together: 15/2 acres and 12.5/8 acres. However, the calculation reveals that the given options may be incorrect, as the 12.5/8 acres converts to 1.5625 acres, leading to a total of 18 1/4 acres, not matching any of the options provided.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks us to combine two areas of land measured in acres, owned by the Matthews family in Rochester, NY. The first lot is 15/2 acres, and the second lot is 12.5/8 acres. To find the total area, we need to add these two measurements together.
First, let's convert 15/2 acres into a mixed number:
15/2 = 7 1/2 (because 15 divided by 2 is 7, with a remainder of 1, which is the numerator of the fractional part).
Then, let's convert 12.5/8 into a decimal or a simpler fraction. Since 12.5 is the same as 121/2, and 1/2 is the same as 4/8, we can say that 12.5/8 is actually 12 4/8. Simplifying 4/8, we get 12 1/2 (because 4 divided by 8 is 1/2).
Now, let's add the two areas together:
7 1/2 acres + 12 1/2 acres = 19 1/1 acres or just 19 acres straightforwardly. However, there seems to be a mistake because the question suggests the second lot should be 12.5/8 which is already in decimal form and equals 1.5625 acres.
Therefore, adding correctly, we get:
7 1/2 acres + 1 5/8 acres = 8 + 1 1/8 acres = 9 1/8 acres. We need to double this amount because there are two lots.
So, the total area owned by the Matthews family = 2 x 9 1/8 acres = 18 1/4 acres, which doesn't match any of the given options, suggesting there is a mistake in the question itself or the options provided are incorrect.