Answer:
[tex]5\frac{1}{4}[/tex] feet
Step-by-step explanation:
Joaquin needs [tex]12 \frac{1}{2}[/tex] feet of floor trim to go around the inside of a closet.
He already has one piece of trim that is [tex]3 \frac{3}{4}[/tex] feet and another piece of trim that is [tex]3 \frac{1}{2}[/tex] feet. Adding these two pieces up, Joaquin already has:
[tex]3 \frac{3}{4} + 3 \frac{1}{2}[/tex]= [tex]\frac{15}{4} + \frac{7}{2}[/tex] = [tex]\frac{29}{4}[/tex] = [tex]7 \frac{1}{4}[/tex] feet.
We subtract this ([tex]7 \frac{1}{4}[/tex] feet) what he needs ( [tex]12 \frac{1}{2}[/tex] feet) to find how how much more he needs:
[tex]12\frac{1}{2} - 7\frac{1}{4}[/tex] = [tex]\frac{25}{2} - \frac{29}{4}[/tex] = [tex]\frac{50}{4} - \frac{29}{4}[/tex] = [tex]\frac{21}{4}[/tex] = [tex]5\frac{1}{4}[/tex] feet.
Joaquin needs [tex]5\frac{1}{4}[/tex] feet more for the closet.
