I Need Assistance With A Real Life Math Problem

I used to be an English teacher. I am terrible at math.

READ: T-e-r-r-i-b-l-e.

I still have to count on my fingers.

I need help with a real life math problem. Sure, I could ask people I know, but hey, I figured it would be interesting and fun to see what my blog readers suggest / figure out!

See that table? This is an example of the tables we are using for our reception.

Okay, here are the stats:

• There are 11 pairs of two short farm tables together – each pair measures a total of 7′ long
• There are 15 pairs of two longer farm tables together – each pair measures a total of 10′ long
• We have 8 red tables that are 4′ long each
• I have 11 rolls of table runner burlap. EACH roll is 9″x30″ (aka: 10 yards long)

Here’s what I need to figure out:

If I have 110 total yards of burlap – in what increments do I need to pre-cut the burlap in to utilize the burlap in the most effective way (i.e. not have a random 3″ or 6″ at the end of each roll that I can’t use)

Now, consider that each table the burlap runner won’t just go from end-to-end… it will need to hang over A LITTLE bit… now this is where the math really comes in.

So, who can help me? I need 11 runners at the same length, 15 runners at the same length, and 8 runners at the same length. All with 110 yards of total burlap to work with.

Ready math wiz-kids? GO!