Question

Brianna's parents keep a chart on the wall where they mark how much Brianna grows each year. When Brianna was 15, she grew 7/8 of an inch and when she was 16, she grew 1/4 of an inch. In total, how much did Brianna grow in during those two years?

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

Answer 1

To determine how much Brianna grew in total during the two years, we need to add the growth from each year.

When Brianna was 15, she grew \( \frac{7}{8} \) of an inch.
When she was 16, she grew \( \frac{1}{4} \) of an inch.

First, we need to find a common denominator to add these fractions. The denominators are \( 8 \) and \( 4 \). The least common denominator (LCD) is \( 8 \).

Now, we can convert \( \frac{1}{4} \) to have a denominator of \( 8 \):

\[
\frac{1}{4} = \frac{1 \times 2}{4 \times 2} = \frac{2}{8}
\]

Now, we can add the two fractions:

\[
\frac{7}{8} + \frac{2}{8} = \frac{7 + 2}{8} = \frac{9}{8}
\]

The total growth over the two years is \( \frac{9}{8} \) inches.

This fraction can also be expressed as a mixed number:

\[
\frac{9}{8} = 1 \frac{1}{8}
\]

Therefore, Brianna grew a total of \( \frac{9}{8} \) inches or \( 1 \frac{1}{8} \) inches during those two years.

Final answer:

\[
\frac{9}{8} \text{ inches or } 1 \frac{1}{8} \text{ inches}
\]