7. There are 15 risers in a set of stairs running from the basement to the first floor. Each riser is \( 71 / 4^{\prime \prime} \) high. What is the distance between floors?

To find the distance between the floors, multiply the number of risers by the height of each riser. So, you take 15 risers and multiply them by \( \frac{71}{4} \) inches (which is 17.75 inches). This equals \( 15 \times 17.75 = 266.25 \) inches. To convert this to feet, divide by 12 (since there are 12 inches in a foot): \( \frac{266.25}{12} = 22.1875 \) feet. Therefore, the distance between the floors is approximately 22.19 feet! It's always good practice to double-check calculations, especially with units. Ensure that you're consistently using either inches or feet to avoid confusion. If you find you’ve miscalculated a riser count or the height, it could lead to a surprising height discrepancy!