Question

Critique Reasoning: Sam is tripping a reddestor an organic cleaning solution. The new recipe calls for 15 tsp of orange oil. To find how many tbsp this is, Sam converted this way.

Conversion factor:
1 tbsp = 3 tsp
32 - 5 tbsp = 45 tbsp
What error did Sam make?
A) Sam made no error.
B) Sam made a calculation error.
C) Sam made a conversion error.
D) Sam's method was correct.

Answer 1

Sam made a conversion error. He used the wrong conversion factor when converting from teaspoons to tablespoons.

Step-by-step explanation:

Sam made a conversion error. To find how many tablespoons the 15 tsp of orange oil is, Sam used the incorrect conversion factor. The correct conversion factor is 1 tbsp = 3 tsp, not 1 tbsp = 5 tsp. Let's calculate the correct conversion:

15 tsp * (1 tbsp / 3 tsp) = 5 tbsp

Therefore, Sam should have gotten 5 tbsp of orange oil, not 45 tbsp. Sam's error was in using the wrong conversion factor.