As part of a lesson on earthquakes, a science class is researching the movement of a nearby fault line. The fault line moved 1 1/2 inches during the past year and 7 2/5 inches the year before. How far did the fault line move in all?

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

1 answer

To find the total movement of the fault line over the past two years, we need to add the two movements together:

  1. The movement in the first year: 112 inches
  2. The movement in the second year: 725 inches

First, let's convert the mixed numbers into improper fractions.

  1. For 112: 112=2×1+12=2+12=32

  2. For 725: 725=5×7+25=35+25=375

Now, we need to add 32 and 375. To do this, we need a common denominator. The least common multiple of 2 and 5 is 10.

Next, let's convert both fractions to have a denominator of 10:

  • For 32: 32=3×52×5=1510

  • For 375: 375=37×25×2=7410

Now, we can add the two fractions: 1510+7410=15+7410=8910

Next, we can convert 8910 back to a mixed number: 8910=8910

Thus, the total movement of the fault line over the past two years is: 8910 inches