Answer:
Michael needs to purchase 6 1/4 feet of metal flashing.
Explanation:
To determine the number of feet of metal flashing that Michael needs to purchase, we need to add the lengths of the two small pieces he already has:
3 1/8 feet + 1 3/4 feet
To add these two fractions, we need to have a common denominator. In this case, the smallest common denominator is 8:
3 4/8 feet + 1 14/8 feet = 4 18/8 feet
Now we can simplify the mixed number by converting it to an improper fraction:
4 18/8 feet = (4 x 8 + 18)/8 feet = 50/8 feet
So Michael already has 50/8 feet of metal flashing. To determine how much more he needs to purchase, we need to subtract this amount from the total amount he needs:
6 1/2 feet - 50/8 feet
To subtract these two fractions, we again need to have a common denominator. In this case, the smallest common denominator is 8:
6 4/8 feet - 50/8 feet = (6 x 8 + 4)/8 feet - 50/8 feet = 52/8 feet - 50/8 feet = 2/8 feet
So Michael needs to purchase an additional 2/8 feet of metal flashing to complete his household project, which simplifies to 1/4 feet. Therefore, Michael needs to purchase a total of:
50/8 feet + 1/4 feet = 6 1/4 feet