We need to multiply the length of each small piece of ribbon (5 1/2 m) by the number of pieces (16) to find the total length of the ribbon.
5 1/2 m * 16 = 88 m
The original piece of ribbon was 88 m long. Answer: \boxed{88}.
Mrs. Wu had a piece of ribbon. It was cut into 16 pieces, each 5 12 m long. What was the length of the original piece of ribbon?
1 answer