Question

Tim dug a hole that was 16 1/2 inches deep.He left a pile of dirt next to the hole that was 8 3/4 inches high.Show how you could use subtraction to find the distance from the top of the pile of dirt to the bottom of the hole.

Answer 1

14 inches

Explanation:

Length of the hole = 16(½) inches

Length of the dirt = 8(¾)inches

The distance between the top of the pile to the bottom of the hole = ?

Since the dirt is beside the hole and not inside the hole, we can find it's length using addition.

Distance from the top to the bottom = length of dirt + length of the hole

Length of dirt = 8×¾ = 6 inches

Length of the hole = 16 × ½ = 8 inches

Distance from the top of the dirt to the bottom of the hole = (6 + 8) inches

Distance from the top of the dirt to the bottom of the hole = 14 inches

Note: the only way we can use subtraction here is if the hole was filled with dirt, what's the distance that's left

Distance left = length of hole - length of dirt

Distance left = 8 - 6 = 2 inches .

But what the question requested was the distance from the top of the dirt to the bottom of the hole