Question 7 (1 point) Use the example to help you. Suppose I am baking cookies and line a rectangular pan with parchment paper. The area of the rectangular piece of parchmer paper I have is \( 19 \frac{1}{4} \) square inches, and the length is \( 5 \frac{1}{2} \) inches. What is the width of the paper? The piece of paper is inches wide.

To find the width of the parchment paper, you can use the formula for the area of a rectangle, which is length multiplied by width. First, convert your mixed numbers into improper fractions for easier calculations. The area of the paper is \( 19 \frac{1}{4} = \frac{77}{4} \) square inches, and the length is \( 5 \frac{1}{2} = \frac{11}{2} \) inches. Now you set up the equation: \[ \text{Area} = \text{Length} \times \text{Width} \implies \frac{77}{4} = \frac{11}{2} \times \text{Width} \] Solving for width gives us: \[ \text{Width} = \frac{77}{4} \div \frac{11}{2} = \frac{77}{4} \times \frac{2}{11} = \frac{154}{44} = \frac{7}{2} = 3 \frac{1}{2} \text{ inches} \] So the piece of paper is \( 3 \frac{1}{2} \) inches wide! It's fascinating to note that baking has a long and rich history, dating back to ancient civilizations where bread was essential. The Egyptians, around 2500 BC, are credited with creating the first leavened bread, leading to the development of various baking techniques still used today. This emphasizes not just skill, but also the evolution of culinary arts over millennia! When it comes to baking, ensuring accurate measurements is crucial. A common mistake is being imprecise with ingredients, especially converting between fractions and decimals. Use a kitchen scale for precise measuring when possible, and double-check your conversions! Always remember that in baking, slight variations can lead to entirely different results—so precision is key to cookie perfection!