Answer:
Explanation:
Here are the steps to calculate the percent waste of sheet steel:
Determine the amount of steel wasted per unit of steel used. The problem tells us that 2 sq ft of steel is wasted for every 32 sq ft used. Therefore, the waste-to-use ratio is 2/32.
Simplify the waste-to-use ratio, if necessary. In this case, the ratio can be simplified by dividing both the numerator and denominator by 2:
2/32 = 1/16
Convert the waste-to-use ratio to a percentage. To do this, we multiply the simplified ratio by 100:
1/16 * 100 = 6.25
Round the result, if necessary. The problem asks for a whole number or an exact decimal, so we round the result to one decimal place:
6.25 rounded to one decimal place is 6.3.
Therefore, the percent waste of sheet steel is 6.3%.