Last week, Janet used 4 cups of flour to make pizza dough. This week, she uses 3/8ths the amount of flour she used last week. Which statement is true about the amount?
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer:
This week, Janet used 1 1/2 cups of flour.
Explanation:
To determine how much flour Janet used this week, we are told that she used 3/8 of the amount she used last week. Last week, she used 4 cups of flour.
We can find this week’s amount by multiplying: This week’s flour=38×4\text{This week’s flour} = \frac{3}{8} \times 4
Now, compute the multiplication: 38×4=3×48=128\frac{3}{8} \times 4 = \frac{3 \times 4}{8} = \frac{12}{8}
Simplify the fraction: 128=32=112\frac{12}{8} = \frac{3}{2} = 1 \frac{1}{2}
So, Janet used 1 1/2 cups of flour this week.
Why this makes sense:
This problem uses the concept of multiplying a fraction by a whole number. When someone uses a fraction of a quantity, they are using a portion of that whole. The phrase “3/8 the amount” means Janet used only part of the original 4 cups — specifically, 3 parts out of 8.
Visually, imagine the 4 cups of flour divided into 8 equal parts (each half-cup), and Janet uses only 3 of those parts. That’s why she ends up using 1 1/2 cups.
Understanding this concept is important not just for baking but for real-life applications such as budgeting, adjusting recipes, or calculating proportions.
Final Statement:
✅ True Statement: This week, Janet used 1 1/2 cups of flour.