To find the ratio of the length to the width of the rectangle using whole numbers, follow these steps:
1. Identify the given lengths:
- The length of the rectangle is [tex]\( 8 \frac{1}{2} \)[/tex] inches, which can be converted to a decimal as [tex]\( 8 + 0.5 = 8.5 \)[/tex] inches.
- The width of the rectangle is [tex]\( 3 \frac{1}{4} \)[/tex] inches, which can be converted to a decimal as [tex]\( 3 + 0.25 = 3.25 \)[/tex] inches.
2. Convert the lengths to integers to find the ratio using whole numbers:
- To make both numbers whole, we'll multiply each by the smallest number that turns both into whole numbers. In this case, multiplying by 4 will work, as both 0.5 and 0.25 are fractions with denominators of 4.
- Multiplying the length by 4: [tex]\( 8.5 \times 4 = 34 \)[/tex]
- Multiplying the width by 4: [tex]\( 3.25 \times 4 = 13 \)[/tex]
3. Formulate the ratio:
- The ratio of the length to the width using whole numbers is therefore [tex]\( 34:13 \)[/tex].
Hence, the ratio of the length to the width of the rectangle in whole numbers is [tex]\( \boxed{34:13} \)[/tex].
