Final answer:
The percent of the classroom floor area not used as the reading center is 84%, computed by subtracting the reading center's area from the total area and then dividing by the total area.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine what percent of the classroom floor area is not used as the reading center, we will first find the area that is not occupied by the reading center. Since the total area of Mrs. Carder's room is 300 square feet and the reading center uses 48 square feet, we subtract the latter from the total area:
300 square feet (total area) - 48 square feet (reading center) = 252 square feet (non-reading center area).
Next, to find the percent of the floor area not used by the reading center, we divide the non-reading center area by the total area and then multiply by 100:
(252 square feet / 300 square feet) × 100 = 84 percent.
So, 84 percent of the classroom floor area is not used as the reading center.