Question

When Mr. Nelson pots a radish plant, he uses 3/8 of the amount of soil as he uses for a pepper plant. How many quarts of potting soil will Mr. Nelson use to pot a radish plant? Explain how this value was found.

Mr. Nelson used 3 2/3 quarts of soil for a single pepper plant.

Answer 1

To find out how many quarts of potting soil Mr. Nelson will use to pot a radish plant, we need to determine \( \frac{3}{8} \) of the amount of soil he uses for a pepper plant.

First, we know that Mr. Nelson used \( 3 \frac{2}{3} \) quarts of soil for a pepper plant. To do the calculation conveniently, we should convert \( 3 \frac{2}{3} \) into an improper fraction:

\[
3 \frac{2}{3} = 3 + \frac{2}{3} = \frac{9}{3} + \frac{2}{3} = \frac{11}{3} \text{ quarts}
\]

Next, we need to calculate \( \frac{3}{8} \) of \( \frac{11}{3} \):

\[
\frac{3}{8} \times \frac{11}{3}
\]

When multiplying fractions, we multiply the numerators and the denominators:

\[
= \frac{3 \times 11}{8 \times 3} = \frac{33}{24}
\]

Now, we simplify \( \frac{33}{24} \):

Both 33 and 24 can be divided by 3:

\[
= \frac{33 \div 3}{24 \div 3} = \frac{11}{8}
\]

Next, we convert \( \frac{11}{8} \) back into a mixed number:

\[
\frac{11}{8} = 1 \frac{3}{8}
\]

Thus, Mr. Nelson will use \( 1 \frac{3}{8} \) quarts of potting soil to pot a radish plant.

To summarize:
- He uses \( 3 \frac{2}{3} \) quarts for a pepper plant.
- Calculate \( \frac{3}{8} \) of that amount, which leads to \( 1 \frac{3}{8} \) quarts for the radish plant.