Question

Farmer brown has four wooden posts that average 5 feet tall. If he cut 6 inches off each of three posts to have the 52-inch fence post height he wanted, how much must he cut off the fourth post to have a fourth 52-inch post?

Answer 1

3.5 feet

Explanation:

Let's calculate the initial total height of the four wooden posts:

Initial total height = Average height * Number of posts
= 5 feet * 4
= 20 feet

Now, since three posts have already been cut by 6 inches each, the total reduction in height from these three posts is:

Reduction from three posts = 3 posts * 6 inches/post
= 18 inches

To find out how much must be cut off the fourth post to have a total height of 52 inches for all four posts, subtract the reduction from the initial total height:

Final height for four posts = Initial total height - Reduction from three posts
= 20 feet - 18 inches (convert inches to feet by dividing by 12)
= 20 feet - 1.5 feet
= 18.5 feet

Now, to find how much must be cut off the fourth post:

Amount to cut off the fourth post = Initial height of the fourth post - Final height for four posts
= 5 feet - 1.5 feet
= 3.5 feet

So, Farmer Brown must cut off 3.5 feet from the fourth post to have a fourth 52-inch post.