SEARCH HOME
Math CentralQuandaries & Queries

search

Question from Tiffany, a student:

Hello, I am Tiff M. from NYC.
I was solving a math problem about adding,subtracting,multiplying or dividing fractions and mixed numbers. I am not getting this question below.
* Laura is building a birdhouse in the shape of a rectangular prism. The base of the birdhouse has an area of 5 square inches. The height of the birdhouse is 2 7/12 inches. Laura calculated the volume of the bird house to be 10 7/12in. Is she correct?
If not, what did she do wrong?

Tiffany.

Laura is building a birdhouse in the shape of a rectangular prism. The base of the birdhouse has an area of 5 square inches. The height of the birdhouse is 2 7/12 inches. Laura calculated the volume of the bird house to be 10 7/12in. Is she correct?

Did you get this answer?

If so, what answer would you get applying the same method to finding the total weight of 100 small pumpkins each weighing 1 7/12 pounds? (How does this compare with the total weight of 100 small pumpkins each weighing 1 pound? Does the change seem too small?)

If not, what did she do wrong?

If your answer was different from Laura's, how do you think she got hers? (You can't be sure: maybe she used a broke calculator; maybe she asked her cousin, who was mad at her for drawing a mustache on her Justin Bieber poster and deliberately told her a wrong answer. But how do you THINK she got that answer?

Good hunting!
RD

About Math Central
 

 


Math Central is supported by the University of Regina and The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences.
Quandaries & Queries page Home page University of Regina PIMS