Fraction word problem

Question

Erica bought 3 1/2 yards of fabric. If she uses 2/3 of the fabric to make a curtain, how much will she have left?

I need to understand how to solve it, less interested in the answer, more interested in how it was solved.

Thank you very much.

Answer 1

To find a percent of a number, or a fraction of a number, always use multiplication. In this case we want to find 2/3 of 3 1/2

 

3 1/2 = 7/2

 

Now multiply 7/2 x 2/3 = 7/3 or 2 1/3

 

This is how much fabric was used. To find out how much is left, we need to subtract this from the original amount.