A carpenter is using an 8 foot length of wood for a frame.

Question

The carpenter needs a notch in the wood that is 4 7/8 feet from one end and 1 2/3 feet from the other end. How long does the notch need to be?

Answer 1

|----------------------------------------------|

                           8 ft

 

 

|---------------------------|-----------|-----|

 

          4 7/8                         ?        1 2/3

 

 

The length of each segment of the wood adds up to 8 feet.

 

The length of the notch is

 

8 foot - (4 7/8 foot + 1 2/3 foot)

 

 

You will need to convert the mixed numbers into improper fractions.  Then, find the lowest common denominator in order to add.  Finally, convert the improper fraction into a mixed number.

Answer 2

8 - ( 4 and 7/8     +     1 and 2/3) =

 

8 - ( 4 and 21/24   +   1 and 16/24) =

 

8 -  ( 5 and 37/24)  =

 

8 - ( 5 + 1 + 13/24 ) =

 

8 - ( 6 and 13 /24) =

 

 1 and 11/24 = 1.45833333..... = 1.4583