3 pieces

Joonie has three pieces of stick. The first stick is 4 ½ meters long, and the second stick is 2 ¼ long. The third stick is 3 ¾ meters long. What is the total length of the stick?

Correct answer:

t =  10 ¹⁄₂ = 21/2 m

Step-by-step explanation:

$$\begin{gathered} a=4\frac{1}{2}=4+\frac{1}{2}=\frac{4\cdot 2+1}{2}=\frac{8+1}{2}=\frac{9}{2}=4.5\text{m} \\ b=2\frac{1}{4}=2+\frac{1}{4}=\frac{2\cdot 4+1}{4}=\frac{8+1}{4}=\frac{9}{4}=2.25\text{m} \\ c=3\frac{3}{4}=3+\frac{3}{4}=\frac{3\cdot 4+3}{4}=\frac{12+3}{4}=\frac{15}{4}=3.75\text{m} \\ t=a+b+c=\frac{9}{2}+\frac{9}{4}+\frac{15}{4}=\frac{18}{4}+\frac{9}{4}+\frac{15}{4}=\frac{18+9+15}{4}=\frac{42}{4}=\frac{21}{2}\text{m}=10\frac{1}{2}\text{m}=10.5\text{m} \end{gathered}$$

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