A supply clerk is organizing copper wire. A spool initially contains 15\frac{4}{5} meters … — Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)

A supply clerk is organizing copper wire. A spool initially contains $15\frac{4}{5}$ meters of wire. If a technician uses $6\frac{1}{2}$ meters of wire from the spool, how many meters of wire remain? Express your answer as a decimal.

Answer: 9.3 meters

Answer

9.3

The initial length of the wire is

15\frac{4}{5}

meters and the used portion is

6\frac{1}{2}

meters. By converting these to decimals, you get

15.8

meters and

6.5

meters. Subtracting the used portion from the initial portion yields

15.8 - 6.5 = 9.3

meters. Alternatively, using a common denominator of 10 gives

15\frac{8}{10} - 6\frac{5}{10} = 9\frac{3}{10}

, which also equals 9.3.

Step-by-Step Solution

Convert the mixed numbers to decimals or find a common denominator.

15\frac{4}{5} = 15.8

and

6\frac{1}{2} = 6.5

Numbers must be in a uniform format to perform subtraction easily.

Subtract the length of wire used from the initial length.

15.8 - 6.5 = 9.3

The remaining length is the difference between the starting amount and the used amount.

Key Concept

Fraction Operations

Estimated Time:45s

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