Final answer:
Maria has 3 pieces of ribbon that are 1/2 yard long.
Step-by-step explanation:
Maria has 3 1/2 feet of ribbon, and each piece she cut is 1/2 yard long. We know that 1 yard is equal to 3 feet. So to find how many 1/2 yard pieces she has, we need to find how many 1/2 yard pieces are equal to 3 1/2 feet.
Since there are 3 feet in 1 yard, 3 1/2 feet is equal to 3 1/2 / 3 = 1 1/2 yards. And since each piece is 1/2 yard, we can divide 1 1/2 yards by 1/2 yard to find the number of pieces:
1 1/2 yards ÷ 1/2 yard = (2 + 1/2) ÷ (1/2) = 2 + 1/2 x 2 = 2 + 1 = 3
So Maria has 3 pieces of ribbon that are 1/2 yard long.