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A recipe requires 3½ cups of nonfat milk. A person already has ¾ cup. How much more is needed?

A. 2¾
B. 2¼
C. 3¼
D. 1¾

Show work please

User Aitchkhan
by
6.6k points

1 Answer

6 votes

Answer:

A. 2¾

Explanation:

The person needs the difference. This is a subtraction problem.

3 1/2 - 3/4 =

3/4 is just a fraction, but you can think of 3/4 as a mixed numeral by writing 3/4 as 0 3/4. The whole part is 0 and the fractional part is 3/4.

= 3 1/2 - 0 3/4

Now we are subtracting two mixed numerals. You need to subtract the whole part, 0, from the whole part, 3, and the fractional part, 3/4, from the fractional part, 1/2.

For the fractional parts, we need a common denominator of 4.

= 3 2/4 - 0 3/4

Now we have both fractions with a common denominator of 4, but since we cannot subtract 3/4 from 2/4, we borrow 1 from 3 as 4/4.

3 goes down 1 to 2, and the 1 which is borrowed as 4/4 is added to the 2/4 to give you 2 6/4. 2 6/4 has the same value as 3 2/4. Now we have:

= 2 6/4 - 0 3/4

We subtract 0 from 2, and we subtract 3/4 from 6/4.

= 2 3/4

Answer: 2 3/4

User Jimmy Collins
by
6.2k points