please help!

Question

A couch is  81/2 feet long. The material needed to make a slipcover is to be 2 1/3 times as long to allow for hems and tucking under. How long a piece of material is needed?

Answer 1

The length of couch is  81 / 2 feet.

The material needed to make a slipcover is to be 2 1/3 times as long.

The improper fraction of  2 1/3 = [2(3) + 1]/3 = (6 + 1)/3 = 7/3.

Therefore, the length of a piece of material to make a slipcover is

(7/3)(81/2)

= 567/6

= 189/2

= 94 1/2 feet^2.

The length of a piece of material to make a slipcover is 94 1/2 feet^2.