Sally has 30 feet of ribbon - OCR - GCSE Maths - Question 6 - 2018 - Paper 5

To determine if Sally's claim is correct, we will perform some calculations:

1. Calculate the total length of ribbon used for 13 strips: The length of each strip is $\frac{2}{5}$ feet. For 13 strips, the total length used will be:

   $13 \times \frac{2}{5} = \frac{26}{5} \text{ feet} = 5.2 \text{ feet}$

2. Verify if 5.2 feet is less than or equal to 30 feet: Sally has 30 feet of ribbon, so:

   $30 \text{ feet} > 5.2 \text{ feet}$

   This means using 13 strips does not exceed her available ribbon.

3. Determine how many strips can actually be cut from 30 feet of ribbon: To find out how many strips can be made from 30 feet, we divide the total ribbon length by the length of each strip:

   $\frac{30}{\frac{2}{5}} = 30 \times \frac{5}{2} = 30 \times 2.5 = 75$

   Therefore, Sally can cut a total of 75 strips from 30 feet of ribbon.

Conclusion: Sally stated that she can cut 13 strips from this ribbon. Since 5.2 feet is under the total length of 30 feet, she is correct in terms of her claim. However, she could cut more than 13 strips in total.