Four people have found the distance in kilometers across a small bridge using different methods.Their results are given in the table. Order the distances from least to greatest.

Mindy lAaron l Tanya l Harold
5.5¯ l 23/4 l √28 l 5 1/2 l

1 answer

To order the distances from least to greatest, we first need to convert all the values in the table to the same format (either all decimals or all fractions).

  1. Mindy's distance: \(5.5\) (which is \(5 \frac{1}{2}\) in mixed number form but already in decimal form)

  2. Aaron's distance: \( \frac{23}{4} = 5.75 \) (since \( 23 \div 4 = 5.75\))

  3. Tanya's distance: \( \sqrt{28} \)

    To evaluate \( \sqrt{28} \): \[ \sqrt{28} = \sqrt{4 \times 7} = \sqrt{4} \times \sqrt{7} = 2 \sqrt{7} \] To find a decimal approximation, use \( \sqrt{7} \approx 2.64575 \): \[ 2 \sqrt{7} \approx 2 \times 2.64575 \approx 5.2915 \]

  4. Harold's distance: \(5 \frac{1}{2} = 5.5\)

Now we have:

  • Mindy: \(5.5\)
  • Aaron: \(5.75\)
  • Tanya: \(5.2915\)
  • Harold: \(5.5\)

Now we can order these from least to greatest:

  1. Tanya: \( \sqrt{28} \approx 5.2915 \)
  2. Mindy: \(5.5\)
  3. Harold: \(5.5\)
  4. Aaron: \(5.75\)

In summary, the order from least to greatest is: Tanya < Mindy = Harold < Aaron