Question

Jada recorded the thickness a of a set of books. This line plot shows her results. Jada stacked the books that were 1 1/2 inches thick on top of the books that were 2 1/4 inches thick. How thick was her pile of books?

A) 3 3/4 inches
B) 3 1/4 inches
C) 4 3/4 inches
D) 4 1/4 inches

Answer 1

To calculate the total thickness of a stack of books, convert each individual thickness to an improper fraction, then add these together. The sum of the thicknesses, 1 1/2 inches and 2 1/4 inches, is 3 3/4 inches. The correct answer is A) 3 3/4 inches.

Step-by-step explanation:

Jada is stacking books and wants to know the combined thickness of a stack consisting of books with two different thicknesses. To find the total thickness of the stack, we need to add the individual thicknesses of the sets of books together. First, let's convert the measurements to improper fractions to make the addition easier:

• 1 1/2 inches is the same as 3/2 inches when converted to an improper fraction.
• 2 1/4 inches is the same as 9/4 inches when converted to an improper fraction.

Now, let's sum the two thicknesses:

(3/2) + (9/4) = (6/4) + (9/4) = (15/4) inches, which can be simplified to 3 3/4 inches.

Therefore, the combined thickness of Jada's pile of books is 3 3/4 inches.