Question

1. in her science class, monica watched an insect crawl 2 1/6 inches in one minute. the next minute the insect crawled 3 2/7 inches. how far did the insect crawl in total?

Explanation:

Step1: Convert mixed - numbers to improper fractions

$2\frac{1}{6}=\frac{2\times6 + 1}{6}=\frac{13}{6}$ and $3\frac{2}{7}=\frac{3\times7+2}{7}=\frac{23}{7}$

Step2: Find a common denominator

The common denominator of 6 and 7 is $6\times7 = 42$.
$\frac{13}{6}=\frac{13\times7}{6\times7}=\frac{91}{42}$ and $\frac{23}{7}=\frac{23\times6}{7\times6}=\frac{138}{42}$

Step3: Add the fractions

$\frac{91}{42}+\frac{138}{42}=\frac{91 + 138}{42}=\frac{229}{42}$

Step4: Convert back to a mixed - number

$229\div42 = 5$ with a remainder of 19. So $\frac{229}{42}=5\frac{19}{42}$

Answer:

$5\frac{19}{42}$ inches