Hi. This is a two-step problem. First we are going to figure out the percentage of the pumpkin's mass that remains after carving and then, second, we'll figure out the percent decrease in the pumpkin's mass.
Step 1:
What is the percentage of the pumpkin's mass that remains after carving?
To find this, we divide the amount of mass after carving by the mass before carving and then multiply the quotient by 100.
3.9 kg / 6.5 kg = 0.6
0.6 x 100 = 60.0 %
Step 2:
What was the percent decrease in the mass of the pumpkin?
To find this, we subtract the percent of the pumpkin's original mass remaining after carving from 100 percent.
100 % - 60 % = 40 %
The pumpkin's mass decreased by 40 percent.
