Question

Ben has a piece of cord that is 40 feet long. He wants to cut the cord into pieces to tie up the tomato plants in his garden. How many pieces can he cut if each piece is 1/2 foot long?

Answer 1

Answer:

Ben will have 80 pieces of cord.

Step-by-step explanation:

When you cut something into equal parts, you are dividing it.

The question can be rephrased as "how many 1/2ft. cords can bet cut from a 40ft cord?"

40  ÷ $\frac{1}{2}$

$\frac{40}{1}$  ÷ $\frac{1}{2}$

When dividing two fractions, flip the second fraction and multiply for a simpler equation.

$\frac{40}{1}[\tex]  × [tex]\frac{2}{1}$ ft

[tex]\frac{40}{1}[\tex]  × 2

40 × 2 = 80

Ben will have 80 pieces of cord.

EDIT: wow that math looks messy, I'm trying to clean it up. please comment if you have concerns