Melanie has a piece of cloth 12 1/3 yd long. How many 3/4 yd pieces can be cut from the cloth? a. 17 pieces b. 12 pieces c. 16 pieces d. 15 pieces

To find how many total pieces she can cut, you need to divide the total length of the piece she has by the length of the piece she wants to cut:

12 1/3 / 3/4

Convert the total length to an improper fraction:

12 1/3 = 37/3

Now you have 37/3 / 3/4

When dividing two fractions, flip the second one over and multiply the two top numbers and the two bottom numbers:

37/3 x 4/3 = 37x4 / 3x3 = 148 / 9 = 16.44, which rounds down to 16.

The answer is C.