Question

ann has an indigo ribbon and a blue ribbon. the indigo ribbon is 9 1/2 inches long and the blue ribbon is 18 1/8 inches long. how much longer is the blue ribbon than the indigo ribbon? write your answer as a fraction or as a whole or mixed number.

Explanation:

Step1: Convert mixed - numbers to improper fractions

The indigo ribbon length: $9\frac{1}{2}=\frac{9\times2 + 1}{2}=\frac{19}{2}$ inches. The blue ribbon length: $18\frac{1}{8}=\frac{18\times8+1}{8}=\frac{145}{8}$ inches.

Step2: Find a common denominator

The common denominator of 2 and 8 is 8. So, $\frac{19}{2}=\frac{19\times4}{2\times4}=\frac{76}{8}$ inches.

Step3: Subtract the lengths

We want to find how much longer the blue ribbon is than the indigo ribbon, so we subtract the length of the indigo ribbon from the length of the blue ribbon: $\frac{145}{8}-\frac{76}{8}=\frac{145 - 76}{8}=\frac{69}{8}$ inches.

Step4: Convert to mixed - number

$\frac{69}{8}=8\frac{5}{8}$ inches.

Answer:

$8\frac{5}{8}$ inches