Question

henry found an icicle 20 inches long. how long is it in feet? write your answer as a whole number or a mixed number in simplest form. include the correct unit in your answer.

Explanation:

Step1: Recall the conversion factor

We know that 1 foot is equal to 12 inches, so to convert inches to feet, we use the conversion factor $\frac{1\ \text{ft}}{12\ \text{in}}$.

Step2: Set up the conversion

We have 20 inches, so we multiply 20 inches by the conversion factor: $20\ \text{in} \times \frac{1\ \text{ft}}{12\ \text{in}}$. The "in" units cancel out, leaving us with $\frac{20}{12}\ \text{ft}$.

Step3: Simplify the fraction

Simplify $\frac{20}{12}$ by dividing both the numerator and the denominator by their greatest common divisor, which is 4. So $\frac{20\div4}{12\div4}=\frac{5}{3}$.

Step4: Convert to a mixed number

$\frac{5}{3}$ as a mixed number is $1\frac{2}{3}$ because $5\div3 = 1$ with a remainder of 2.

Answer:

$1\frac{2}{3}$ feet