Question

Mr. Garza has a picture that measures 4 by 12 inches. It must be reduced so that the longest side measures 4 inches to fit in the school newspaper. Find the length of the shorter side of the picture once it has been reduced.

A. 2 inches
B. 1 1/2
C. 1 1/3
D. 1 inch

Answer 1

The answer is C.) 1 1/3

Answer 2

Answer: The length of the shorter side is
`1(1)/(3)` inches (option C).

Explanation:

• The ratio of the original picture is
  `(4)/(12)`.
• The ratio of the new picture is
  `(x)/(4)`.
• In order to get the longest side to 4, we divided by 3. As a result, we must divide 4 (the original shorter side) by 3 to find the new length.
• 
  `(4)/(3)` =
  `1(1)/(3)`