Answer:
3
Step-by-step explanation:
Wire is 4 1/2 feet, or 4.5 feet.
Each smaller wire needs to be 1 1/4 feet, or 1.25 feet.
<em>How many whole 1.25 feet wire can we have from total of 4.5 feet wire?</em>
<em />
Let's divide:
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<em>thus we can have 3 whole "1.25 feet long" wire and fractional amount.</em>
<em />
<em>Hence, maximum number of smaller pieces is 3</em>