Question

Lyla wants to hang a mirror that is 11 1/2 inches wide in the center of a wall that is 20 inches wide. how far from each corner of the wall should she place the mirror in order for it to me centered?

Answer 1

The mirror is 11 1/2 inches wide (that is, 11.5 inches) and the wall is 20 inches wide.

If we use the variable 'x' to represent the distance from the border of the mirror to the wall, we have the figure:

Then, we can write the following equation:

`\begin{gathered} x+11.5+x=20 \\ 2x+11.5=20 \\ 2x=20-11.5 \\ 2x=8.5 \\ x=(8.5)/(2) \\ x=4.25\text{ inches} \end{gathered}`

So the distance from the mirror to each corner of the wall is 4.25 inches (or 4 1/4 in)