varun289 wrote:Jane decided to measure a length of fence but discovered that the first x inches of her 50-foot tape measure had broken off. According to the tape measure, the fence measured 10 feet 3 inches. What was the true length of the fence, in feet?
Okay, I'll go ahead and answer this question without the answer choices.
Since part of the tape measure is missing x inches, it will begin at a measurement of x inches. If the tape measure starts at x inches, any measurement will be x inches longer than the true length.
So, the true length =
(the tape measure length) -
(x inches)
Since our goal is to find the true length
in feet, we'll need to convert
10 feet 3 inches and
x inches into feet.
Since there are 12 inches in a foot,
10 feet 3 inches = 10 3/12 feet = 10.25 feet
Similarly,
x inches = x/12 feet
So, true length =
10.25 feet -
x/12 feet
=
[spoiler]10.25 - x/12[/spoiler]
IMPORTANT: it's quite possible that the correct answer choice will look different since there are many ways to express 10.25 - x/12 (this is why it's important to post the answer choices)
For example, 10.25 - x/12 = 10 3/12 - x/12
= 123/12 - x/12
=
[spoiler](123 - x)/12[/spoiler]
This is another possible answer.
Cheers,
Brent
