by Nicole Coppell

There are 13 keys on a xylophone (C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G and A).The 1st key (C) is 7.5 inches long.The 2nd key (D) is 7.25 inches long.The 3rd key (E) is 7 inches long....and so on continuing this pattern in size. Zeno the xylophone maker was about to begin construction on a new xylophone when he realized he had run out of metal stripping used to make the keys. This metal stripping comes in 1-yard pieces. How many 1-yard pieces does Zeno need to buy in order to make 1 xylophone?

coppell32695 — 2015-11-03 01:01:24 UTC

Vocab

coppell32695 — 2015-11-03 01:04:48 UTC

~Multiplicaton

~Yards/Feet/Inches

~Cost - Dollars/Cents

~Total

~Product

~ Division

~Pattern

~Quotient

~Decimal

~Tenths

Why?

coppell32695 — 2015-11-03 01:08:03 UTC

~Decimal exploration

~Looking for patterns

~Thinking deeper

~Working with multiplication/division

~Reasoning

~Comparing prices

~Modeling with lables

ANSWER

coppell32695 — 2015-11-05 00:35:14 UTC

The best combination is, 2 yards 1 foot, costing $11.73.

coppell32695 — 2015-11-05 00:41:53 UTC

Comparing Prices

coppell32695 — 2015-11-05 00:43:14 UTC

Explanation

coppell32695 — 2015-11-05 00:43:50 UTC

In total, we needed 78 inches of metal strips for the xylophone. There is 36 inches in one yard (3 feet), because there is 12 inches in one foot. 78 inches is 6.5 feet, so 78 inches is equal to 2.17 yards. 2.17 yards rounds to 3 yard, because you can't buy 0.17 of a yard. One yard costs $4.99, and $4.99 times 3 feet costs $11.73. 78 inches is 6.5 feet, so 6.5 rounds to 7 because you can't buy 0.5 of a foot. One foot costs $1.75, so $1.75 times 7 feet is $12.25. I continued finding combinations, and found the the cheapest way is getting 2 feet and one yard.