Question

building julio is building a doghouse, which is 4 feet wide, for his st. bernard. he will install a piece of plastic in the middle of the front side of the house that is the same width of the house to cover the entrance. the weight of the plastic requires a snap fastener every 1/8 of its width, excluding its ends. a fastener should be placed every select choice feet from the edge of the doghouse. a total of select choice fasteners are needed

Explanation:

Step1: Calculate the distance between fasteners

The width of the dog - house is 4 feet and a snap fastener is required every $\frac{1}{8}$ of its width. So the distance between fasteners is $4\times\frac{1}{8}=\frac{4}{8}=\frac{1}{2}$ feet.

Step2: Calculate the number of intervals

The number of intervals of length $\frac{1}{2}$ feet in a 4 - foot width is $\frac{4}{\frac{1}{2}}=8$. But we exclude the two ends. So the number of fasteners is $8 - 1=7$.

Answer:

A fastener should be placed every $\frac{1}{2}$ feet from the edge of the doghouse. A total of 7 fasteners are needed.