Question

Error Analysis - A covered bridge is 8 yards long. In a painting for sale at a gallery, the bridge is 5 feet long. A customer wants to know the ratio of the length of the bridge in the painting to the actual length. One salesperson says the ratio in simplest form is 5/8. Another salesperson says the ratio in simplest form is 24/5. Which ratio is correct? What error leads to the incorrect ratio?

A.using terms with different units to find the ratio
B.reversing the terms of the ratio
C. not simplifying the terms of the ratio

Answer 1

The correct ratio is 5/8. The error that leads to the incorrect ratio of 24/5 is using terms with different units to find the ratio.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct ratio is 5/8. The error that leads to the incorrect ratio of 24/5 is using terms with different units to find the ratio. In this case, the terms in the ratio should both be in the same units, either yards or feet.

To correctly find the ratio, we convert 5 feet to yards. Since 1 yard is equal to 3 feet, 5 feet is equal to 5/3 yards.

Hence, the correct ratio is 5/8, not 24/5. The error in the second ratio occurs because it uses terms with different units.