Question

Difficulty: EasyFractions and Decimals

A water storage tank is currently filled to 0.650.65 of its total capacity. If the tank currently contains 130130 liters of water, what is the total capacity of the tank in liters?

Answer: 200 liters

Answer

The total capacity of the tank is 200 liters.
The correct capacity is found by dividing the current volume of water (130 liters) by the decimal that represents the filled portion (0.65). This calculation, 130÷0.65130 \div 0.65, yields 200 liters.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the relationship between the filled portion and the total capacity.
Let CC be the total capacity. We establish the equation: 0.65×C=1300.65 \times C = 130.
Translating the word problem into a mathematical equation allows us to solve for the unknown whole amount.
2
Rearrange the equation to solve for the total capacity.
C=1300.65C = \frac{130}{0.65}
Isolating CC on one side of the equation gives us the expression needed to find the total capacity.
3
Perform the division by clearing the decimal in the denominator.
C=1300065=200C = \frac{13000}{65} = 200
Multiplying the numerator and denominator by 100 eliminates the decimal point, making the division straightforward.

Key Concept

Calculating the total amount when a specific decimal fraction of that amount is known.
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