Jonah just bought a new lamp for his bedside table. The old lamp was 1 1/2 feet tall and the new lamp is 5 feet tall. How much taller is the new lamp than the old lamp.

Question

Write your answer as a fraction or as a whole or mixed number.

feet

Answer 1

To find the difference in height between the two lamps, subtract the height of the old lamp from the height of the new lamp:

5 feet - 1 1/2 feet

To subtract fractions, first convert the mixed number 1 1/2 to an improper fraction:
1 1/2 = (2 * 1) + 1 = 3/2

Now, subtract the fractions:
5 - 3/2 = 10/2 - 3/2 = 7/2

So, the new lamp is 7/2 feet taller than the old lamp.