Arianna is selling necklaces and bracelets at a local craft fair. She buys 8 yards of string. She uses 1 1/2 yards to make necklaces and the rest to make bracelets requires 3/4 yards of string. How many bracelets can she make?

1 answer

To determine how many bracelets Arianna can make, we first need to find out how much string she has left after making the necklaces.

  1. Calculate the string used for necklaces: \[ \text{String used for necklaces} = 1 \frac{1}{2} \text{ yards} = \frac{3}{2} \text{ yards} \]

  2. Determine the remaining string: \[ \text{Total string} = 8 \text{ yards} \] \[ \text{String remaining} = \text{Total string} - \text{String used for necklaces} \] \[ \text{String remaining} = 8 - \frac{3}{2} \]

    To subtract these, we can convert 8 into a fraction: \[ 8 = \frac{16}{2} \] Now perform the subtraction: \[ \text{String remaining} = \frac{16}{2} - \frac{3}{2} = \frac{16 - 3}{2} = \frac{13}{2} \text{ yards} \]

  3. Calculate how many bracelets can be made: Each bracelet requires \(\frac{3}{4}\) yards of string. To find out how many bracelets Arianna can make, we divide the remaining string by the amount needed for each bracelet: \[ \text{Number of bracelets} = \frac{\text{String remaining}}{\text{String per bracelet}} = \frac{\frac{13}{2}}{\frac{3}{4}} \]

    To divide fractions, multiply by the reciprocal: \[ \text{Number of bracelets} = \frac{13}{2} \times \frac{4}{3} \] \[ = \frac{13 \times 4}{2 \times 3} = \frac{52}{6} = \frac{26}{3} \]

    Evaluating \(\frac{26}{3}\) gives us approximately 8.67. Since Arianna cannot make a fraction of a bracelet, we round down to the nearest whole number.

Therefore, the maximum number of bracelets Arianna can make is: \[ \boxed{8} \]