Question

Angela likes to use two walking sticks when she goes hiking but the two walking sticks she has been giving wrestling are different lengths one is 3 4/5 feet long, and the other is 3 1/2 feet long.
how much should she cut from the longer sitck so that the two walking sticks will be the same length

Answer 1

Given:
long stick: 3 4/5 feet
short stick: 3 1/2 feet

convert mix fractions into improper fractions:

3 4/5 = (3*5)+4/5 = 19/5  long stick
3 1/2 = (3*2)+1/2 = 7/2  short stick

19/5 - 7/2 ⇒ (19/5 * 2/2) - (7/2 * 5/5) = 38/10 - 35/10 = (38 - 35)/10 = 3/10

3/10 feet should be cut from the longer stick so that the two walking sticks will be the same length.

3 4/5 ft = 45.6 inches  long stick
3 1/2 ft = 42 inches   short stick
3/10 ft = 3.6 inches  to be cut from long stick

45.6 inches - 3.6 inches = 42 inches