Question

Tara has 4 and 4 over 5 feet of rope.

Part A: How many 2 over 5 foot pieces can Tara cut from the 4 and 4 over 5 feet of rope? Show your work. (5 points)

Part B: Using the information in Part A, interpret the meaning of the quotient in terms of the two fractions given. (5 points)
I already got part a correct but I need help with part b, I don't understand it cause I'm d u m b pls help

Answer 1

9514 1404 393

Answer:

A) 12 pieces

B) the meaning of the quotient is that Tara got 12 pieces of length 2/5 ft from her 4 4/5 ft rope

Explanation:

A) (4 4/5)/(2/5) = (24/5)/(2/5) = 24/2 = 12

Tara can cut 12 pieces from the rope.

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B) The quotient is the answer to the question. The meaning of it is that Tara can get 12 pieces from the rope, in answer to the question, "how many pieces can Tara cut?"

It doesn't matter whether the numbers are whole numbers, decimals, fractions, or even irrational numbers. The whole is the sum of the parts, so the number of parts is equal to the size of the whole divided by the size of a part.

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Comment on the question

This sort of question seems to appear a lot in modern "common core" math materials. They tell you "x means <such and such>", and then they ask you, "What is the meaning of x?" It seems to be a reading comprehension exercise. Of course, the meaning of x is <such and such>, just as the problem statement tells you.