You purchase 10 pounds of mushrooms and you use 7 pounds 14 ounces.

Question

You purchase 10 pounds of mushrooms and you use 7 pounds 14 ounces. How many pounds are left?

Answer 1

This is a subtraction problem; remember "borrowing" in simple subtraction problems?

 

       10 pounds

    -    7 pounds 14 ounces

 ------------------------------

 

"borrow 1 pound = 16 ounces"

 

         9 pounds  16 ounces

     -   7 pounds  14 ounces

 -------------------------------

         2 pounds   2 ounces

 

                 or,  2 1/8 pounds

 

Answer 2

Hi Rachel,

 

For starters, there are 16 ounces in one pound. So let's convert 10 pounds of mushrooms into ounces.

 

10 pounds * 16 ounces/pound = 160 ounces

 

If I use 7 pounds 14 ounces, I use up 7 pounds * 16 ounces/pound + 14 ounces = 112 ounces + 14 ounces = 126 ounces.

 

160 ounces - 126 ounces = 34 ounces

 

To convert back into pounds, divide by 16 ounces/pound:

 

34 ounces / (16 ounces/pound) = 2.125 pounds or 2 and 1/8 pounds

 

Hope this helps!