16. How many \( 8-7 / 8^{\prime \prime} \) long pieces can be cut from a \( 46^{\prime} \) long piece of angle iron?

To determine how many \( 8-7/8^{\prime\prime} \) pieces can be cut from a \( 46^{\prime} \) long piece of angle iron, we first convert the lengths into the same unit. The length of the angle iron is \( 46^{\prime} \), which is equivalent to \( 46 \times 12 = 552^{\prime\prime} \). Next, convert \( 8-7/8^{\prime\prime} \) into an improper fraction: \[ 8 - 7/8 = 8 \times 8/8 - 7/8 = 64/8 - 7/8 = 57/8^{\prime\prime} \] Now, we can find out how many \( 57/8^{\prime\prime} \) pieces fit into \( 552^{\prime\prime} \): First, we calculate the length of one piece in inches: \[ 57/8 = 7.125 \text{ in} \] Now, divide the total length of the angle iron by the length of one piece: \[ 552^{\prime\prime} \div (57/8^{\prime\prime}) = 552^{\prime\prime} \times (8/57^{\prime\prime}) = \frac{552 \times 8}{57} \approx 77.368 \] Since we can't cut a fraction of a piece, we round down to the nearest whole number. Therefore, you can cut \( \textbf{77 pieces} \) from the angle iron.