Hector's school is holding a fitness challenge. Students are encouraged to exercise at least [tex]2 \frac{1}{2}[/tex] hours per week. Hector exercises about the same number of hours each week. During a 4-week period, he exercises for [tex]11 \frac{1}{2}[/tex] hours. Hector wants to compare his exercise rate with the fitness challenge rate.

How many hours per week does Hector exercise?
[tex]\square[/tex] hour(s) per week

To find out how many hours per week Hector exercises, we can follow these steps:

1. Determine the total number of hours Hector exercises:
Hector exercises for [tex]\(11 \frac{1}{2}\)[/tex] hours over a 4-week period. In decimal form, this is equivalent to 11.5 hours.

2. Identify the total number of weeks:
The exercise period is 4 weeks long.

3. Calculate Hector's average weekly exercise hours:
Divide the total hours exercised by the number of weeks to find out how many hours Hector exercises per week.

[tex]\[
\text{Hours per week} = \frac{11.5 \text{ hours}}{4 \text{ weeks}} = 2.875 \text{ hours per week}
\][/tex]

Thus, Hector exercises approximately 2.875 hours per week.