Final answer:
3.5 gallons of soup were consumed during lunch, calculated by subtracting the amount of soup left from the initial amount and converting quarts to gallons using the conversion factor of 4 quarts per gallon.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find out how much soup was consumed during lunch at the restaurant, we need to subtract the amount of soup left after lunch from the initial amount of soup. Initially, there were 4 gallons of chicken noodle soup, and after lunch, there was 1/2 gallon left.
Since we are working in gallons and we know there are 4 quarts in a gallon as a conversion factor, let's first convert the initial 4 gallons into quarts to avoid any confusion:
- 4 gallons * 4 quarts/gallon = 16 quarts
Similarly, we convert the remaining 1/2 gallon of soup after lunch into quarts:
- 1/2 gallon * 4 quarts/gallon = 2 quarts
Now, calculate the amount of soup consumed by subtracting the quarts left from the initial quarts:
- 16 quarts - 2 quarts = 14 quarts
Since we prefer to provide the answer in gallons, let's convert 14 quarts back into gallons knowing the conversion factor is 4 quarts per gallon:
- 14 quarts / 4 quarts/gallon = 3.5 gallons
Therefore, 3.5 gallons of soup were consumed during lunch.