m06, 030

Arithmetic Grade Six

Sometimes it is necessary to regroup the inches. Here's an example which illustrates this:


	   3 ft, 7 in
	+  2 ft, 8 in
	--------------

When we add up the inches we wind up with 15 inches:


	   3 ft, 7 in
	+  2 ft, 8 in
	--------------
	   5 ft, 15 in

We can't leave this answer this way. We must regroup. Since there are 12 inches in one foot, we can change the inches part of the answer to this:


	15 in = 1 ft, 3 in

Now we can simplify our answer:


	   3 ft, 7 in
	+  2 ft, 8 in
	--------------
	   6 ft, 3 in

By adding 1 ft, 3 in to 5 ft, we get 6 ft, 3 in.