Mrs. Rivera

Mrs. Rivera bought 9 and 3/4 m of curtain cloth. She used 5 m to make a curtain for the office window. How many meters of cloth were not used? Simplify your answer.

Correct answer:

x =  4 ³⁄₄ = 19/4 m

Step-by-step explanation:

$$\begin{gathered} a=9\frac{3}{4}=9+\frac{3}{4}=\frac{9\cdot 4+3}{4}=\frac{36+3}{4}=\frac{39}{4}=9.75\text{m} \\ b=5\text{m} \\ x=a-b=\frac{39}{4}-5=\frac{39}{4}-\frac{5\cdot 4}{4}=\frac{39}{4}-\frac{20}{4}=\frac{39-20}{4}=\frac{19}{4}=\frac{19}{4}\text{m}=4\frac{3}{4}\text{m}=4.75\text{m} \end{gathered}$$

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