Practice question · Numerical answer
A finished piece must measure 30 cm. If the clay body shrinks 12 per cent in total, roughly what length must it be made at, in centimetres?
Hints
- The finished size is the made size minus 12 per cent of it.
- Divide 30 by 0.88.
Show the answer
34 (answers within ±1 count)
Why
About 34 cm. The arithmetic matters: dividing by 0.88 gives 34.1, whereas adding 12 per cent to 30 gives 33.6 and is wrong, because the shrinkage applies to the made size rather than the finished one. The error is small at this scale and becomes serious on a large piece.
Practise Clay: What It Is and Why It Shrinks
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