A graphic designer is planning the layout for a magazine advertisement of three pictures, shown below. The ratio of the sum of the widths of the three pictures to the total width of the advertisement is 4:5. If each picture is 4 inches wide, what is the length of each of the four empty spaces between the pictures (t)?
Let S be the sum of the width of the pictures and T be the total width of the advertisement. Our proportion would be [tex]\frac{S}{T}=\frac{4}{5}[/tex]
Since there are 3 pictures and each is 4 inches long, S=3*4=12: [tex]\frac{12}{T}=\frac{4}{5}[/tex] Cross multiplying, we have: 12*5=4*T 60=4T Divide both sides by 4: 60/4 = 4T/4 15=T The total width of the advertisement is 15 inches. Subtract the known width of the pictures from this, 12, and we have 3 inches left over for the total of the 4 spaces. Thus our answer is 3/4.