Math story

Question

Mason bought a 17 pound ham. He found that one-tenth was fat. How much fat need to be cut off.

Answer 1

Hi Trent,

 

The question is asking, how much is 1/10 of 17 pounds??

 

"of" generally means that you must multiply.

 

So 1/10 x 17.

 

When you multiply fractions, you multiply the numerators (tops) and you multiply the denominators (bottoms):

 

1/10 x 17/1 = 17/10

 

Convert this to a mixed fraction by dividing 17 by 10 and you get 1 7/10 pounds.

 

You can also convert this to a decimal --> 1.7 pounds

 

(When you divide 17 by 10 you move the decimal point to the left one place . . . 17.0 / 10 = 1.7)

 

Dan

Answer 2

What you need to do is divide 17 by 10:

 

       1?

   ---------

10|17.0

    -10

    -------

       7

 

Finish the long division, and you'll have your final answer.