To determine the length of each piece of wood when a 12-foot piece is cut into 5 equal pieces, follow these steps:
1. Convert the total length from feet to inches:
We know there are 12 inches in a foot. So, for a piece of wood that is 12 feet long:
[tex]\[
12 \text{ feet} \times 12 \text{ inches/foot} = 144 \text{ inches}
\][/tex]
2. Divide the total length in inches by the number of pieces:
The carpenter needs to cut the wood into 5 equal pieces. Hence, we divide the total length in inches by 5:
[tex]\[
\frac{144 \text{ inches}}{5} = 28.8 \text{ inches}
\][/tex]
Therefore, each piece will be 28.8 inches long.
