Final answer:
The baby will be 27 inches long at the end of approximately 6 months.
Step-by-step explanation:
To solve this problem, we can set up an equation. Let x represent the number of months it takes for the baby to reach a length of 27 inches.
The initial length of the baby is 20 1/2 inches. From there, the baby grows at a rate of 1 1/12 inches per month. So, the length of the baby after x months can be represented as 20 1/2 + (1 1/12)x.
We need to find the value of x when the length of the baby is 27 inches. So, we can set up the equation 20 1/2 + (1 1/12)x = 27 and solve for x.
Subtracting 20 1/2 from both sides of the equation gives us (1 1/12)x = 27 - 20 1/2.
Simplifying the right side of the equation gives us (1 1/12)x = 6 1/2.
To solve for x, we can convert the fractions to decimals. (1 1/12) is equivalent to 1.0833.
So, the equation becomes 1.0833x = 6.5.
Dividing both sides of the equation by 1.0833 gives us x = 6.5 ÷ 1.0833 ≈ 6.
Therefore, the baby will be 27 inches long at the end of approximately 6 months.