Question

4/15 of a pool is filled every 1/8 of an hour. How much of the pool will be filled in one hour?

Answer 1

(4/15) * 8 = 32/15 = 2 2/15

Oops -- the pool was full in less than 1/2 hour. Then it overflowed.

Answer 2

well, how many eighths in a whole?

1 is 8 * 1/8, so 8 * 4/15 = 32/15

Now that's more than a full pool, so it's kind of a stupid question. Where does the extra water go? Once the pool is full, it can't hold any more.

4/15 is about 1/4, so it only takes about 4 hours to fill the pool.

Answer 3

Thank you for the help, but I am confused on as to why you used 8 instead of 1/8? Is it because the whole pool is being filled or.. ?

Answer 4

ok ok ok

I could have said

1 = 8/8 = 8 * 1/8

1 / (1/8) = 8

that is, if I gave you 1/8 of an apple, how many times would I have to do it to give you a whole apple? 8 times.

If that is too hard to visualize, just take a piece of paper

Cut it in half. How many pieces? 2.

2 * 1/2 = 1
3 * 1/3 = 1
4 * 1/4 = 1
and so on.

Whatever you tell me abou 1/8 of a pool, you have to tell it 8 times to make it true for the whole pool.

Answer 5

Oh okay! Thank you for the help! I think I understand now. Thank you!