Question

An automobile needs new tires. The tread on the old tires measures 1/16 in. If the new tires have a tread of 3/8 in, what is the difference in the tread (in inches) written as a decimal? (Simplify your answer completely.)

Answer 1

The difference in tread between the old and new tires is 5/16 in, which is equal to 0.3125 when written as a decimal.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the difference in tread between the old and new tires, we need to subtract the measurement of the old tread from the measurement of the new tread. The old tread measures 1/16 in, and the new tread measures 3/8 in. To subtract fractions, we need to have a common denominator. The least common denominator for 1/16 and 3/8 is 16, so we need to convert both fractions to have a denominator of 16.

1/16 is already in terms of 16, so we just need to convert 3/8. We can do this by multiplying the numerator and denominator of 3/8 by 2, which gives us 6/16. Now that both fractions have a denominator of 16, we can subtract them. 6/16 - 1/16 = 5/16. So, the difference in tread between the old and new tires is 5/16 in. To write this as a decimal, we divide 5 by 16, which gives us 0.3125.