Question

A tailor bought 12 1/2 yards of brown wool, 8 7/8 yards of blue tweed, and 6 3/4 yards of brown plaid. How many yards did he buy in all?

Answer 1

The tailor bought a total of 28 1/8 yards of fabric, which was calculated by adding together the whole numbers of the yards and then summing the fractional parts separately before combining both results.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the total amount of fabric the tailor bought, you need to add up the lengths of each type of fabric. Let's break down the addition into a step-by-step process:

1. First, convert all measurements to the same unit so they can be added easily. We are already given yards, so we will ensure that all fractional parts are also in yards.
2. Add the whole numbers from each measurement: 12 (from 12 1/2) + 8 (from 8 7/8) + 6 (from 6 3/4) = 26 yards.
3. Next, add the fractional parts. It may be easier to first convert them into improper fractions to the same denominator: 1/2 becomes 4/8, 7/8 stays as 7/8, and 3/4 becomes 6/8. Adding these fractions gives us 4/8 + 7/8 + 6/8 = 17/8 yards, which simplifies to 2 1/8 yards.
4. Finally, add the sum of the whole numbers (26 yards) to the sum of the fractions (2 1/8 yards) to get the total.

The tailor bought a total of 28 1/8 yards of fabric.