Question

the penguins at the zoo eat 2 3/4 pounds of fish each day. the zookeeper bought 5 1/2 pounds of fish. how many days will the fish last? write your answer as a fraction or as a whole or mixed number.

Explanation:

Step1: Convert mixed - numbers to improper fractions

$2\frac{3}{4}=\frac{2\times4 + 3}{4}=\frac{11}{4}$ and $5\frac{1}{2}=\frac{5\times2+1}{2}=\frac{11}{2}$

Step2: Divide total fish by daily consumption

We want to find out how many times $\frac{11}{4}$ goes into $\frac{11}{2}$. So we calculate $\frac{11}{2}\div\frac{11}{4}=\frac{11}{2}\times\frac{4}{11}$

Step3: Simplify the fraction

$\frac{11\times4}{2\times11}=\frac{44}{22} = 2$

Answer:

$2$