Question

Mrs. Lemke has 10 2/3 ounces of fertilizer for her plants. She plans to use 3/4 ounce of fertilizer on each plant. After she puts fertilizer on as many plants as she can, how much fertilizer will be left over?

Answer 1

She can fertilize 13 plants using only 9.75 ounces of fertilizer.

Answer 2

Plants fertilized = 14

Amount of remaining fertilizer =
`(1)/(6)` ounces

Explanation:

Mrs Lemke has the amount of fertilizer =
`10(2)/(3)` ounces

For each plant she is using fertilizer =
`(3)/(4)` ounce

Let number of plants she fertilized = x

Therefore, total amount of fertilizer used =
`(3x)/(4)` ounce

Equation for the fertilizer used in x plants will be

`(3x)/(4)` =
`(32)/(3)`

x =
`(32)/(3)* (4)/(3)`

x =
`(128)/(9)`

x =
`14(2)/(9)`

Since plants can't be in the fraction so only 14 plants can be fertilized and some amount of fertilizer will remain unused.

Amount of fertilizer remaining =
`(32)/(3)-14* (3)/(4)`

=
`(32)/(3)-(42)/(4)`

=
`(128-126)/(12)`

=
`(2)/(12)`

=
`(1)/(6)` ounces