Juan's model locomotive is 7 5/8 in long HIs coal car is 6 1/4 in long when hooked together there is a 7/8 inch space between the cars. What is the total length when the two cars are hooked together?

I added the fractions and got 13 7/8 what do I do with the 7/8 in space between the cars?

14 3/4

To find the total length when the two cars are hooked together, you need to add the lengths of the two cars and the space between them.

Juan's model locomotive is 7 5/8 inches long.
His coal car is 6 1/4 inches long.
The space between the cars is 7/8 inch.

To add these measurements, first add the whole numbers:
7 + 6 = 13

Then, add the fractions:
5/8 + 1/4 = (5/8 + 2/8) = 7/8

Now, add the 7/8 inch space between the cars:
13 + 7/8 = (13 + 7/8) = 13 7/8 inches

Therefore, the total length when the two cars are hooked together is 13 7/8 inches.

To find the total length when the two cars are hooked together, you can add the lengths of the locomotive, coal car, and the space between them.

First, convert the mixed numbers to improper fractions:

Locomotive length: 7 5/8 = (8 * 7 + 5)/8 = 57/8
Coal car length: 6 1/4 = (4 * 6 + 1)/4 = 25/4

Next, find the total length by adding the lengths of the two cars:

Total length = Locomotive length + Coal car length
= 57/8 + 25/4

To add these fractions, you need a common denominator. In this case, the least common multiple (LCM) of 8 and 4 is 8. So we can rewrite the fractions with a common denominator of 8:

Total length = (57/8) + (25/4) = (57/8) + (50/8)

Now that the fractions have the same denominator, you can add the numerators:

Total length = (57 + 50)/8 = 107/8

You correctly added the fractions and obtained 13 7/8. The 7/8 represents the space between the cars. Therefore, the total length when the two cars are hooked together is 13 7/8 inches.

Thank you Jerald