High School

Noam had a length of [tex]$13 \frac{1}{3} \text{ cm}$[/tex] of ribbon and cut it into [tex]$3 \frac{1}{3}$[/tex] equal-sized strips along the full width of the ribbon.

How long is each whole strip? [tex]\square \text{ cm}[/tex]

Answer :

To determine the length of each whole strip, we need to follow these steps:

1. Understand the problem: We have a ribbon that is [tex]\(13 \frac{1}{3} \text{ cm}\)[/tex] long, and it's being cut into [tex]\(3 \frac{1}{3}\)[/tex] equal-sized strips. We want to find out how long each strip is.

2. Convert mixed numbers to improper fractions:
- The total length of the ribbon is [tex]\(13 \frac{1}{3} \text{ cm}\)[/tex]. As an improper fraction, this is [tex]\(\frac{40}{3}\)[/tex] cm.
- The number of strips is [tex]\(3 \frac{1}{3}\)[/tex]. As an improper fraction, this is [tex]\(\frac{10}{3}\)[/tex].

3. Divide the total length by the number of strips:
- To find the length of each strip, divide [tex]\(\frac{40}{3}\)[/tex] by [tex]\(\frac{10}{3}\)[/tex].

4. Perform the division of fractions:
- When you divide by a fraction, you multiply by its reciprocal. So, [tex]\(\frac{40}{3} \div \frac{10}{3} = \frac{40}{3} \times \frac{3}{10} = \frac{40 \times 3}{3 \times 10} = \frac{120}{30}\)[/tex].

5. Simplify the fraction:
- Simplify [tex]\(\frac{120}{30}\)[/tex] by dividing both the numerator and the denominator by their greatest common divisor (30): [tex]\(\frac{120 \div 30}{30 \div 30} = \frac{4}{1} = 4\)[/tex].

6. Conclusion: Each whole strip is [tex]\(4 \text{ cm}\)[/tex] long.

So, the length of each strip is [tex]\(\boxed{4} \text{ cm}\)[/tex].

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