A bottle of water is 1/2 full. You drink 2/3 of the bottle. How much of the bottle did you drink?

Question

My book says I have to multiply  1/2 by 2/3.

 

Answer 1

A bottle of water is 1/2 full. You drink 2/3 of the REMAINING WATER THAT WAS IN THE bottle.  (Note my clarification in your original sentence.)

 

Yes, because you drank TWO THIRDS OF HALF.  In Math, 'OF' MEANS TO MULTIPLY.

Answer 2

Hi Jessica, the book is correct, you do have to multiply what is in the bottle, 1 / 2, by how much you drank of what is left in the bottle, or 2 / 3.

 

This gives 1 / 2 * 2 / 3 or 1 / 3. You drank 1 / 3 of the bottle.

 

Questions?

 

Answer 3

Start with 1/2 of a bottle of water.  Drink 2/3 of that 1/2 and you get

 

(1/2)(2/3) = 1/3

 

You drank 1/3 of the bottle.  The book is correct.