In everyday life, it’s not uncommon to share a candy bar with a friend or family member. But when we share, we often wonder how much of it is left after everyone takes their portion. Here’s a simple math problem based on sharing a candy bar between Jenn and David.
The Problem
Jenn and David shared a candy bar. Jenn ate three-tenths of the candy bar, while David ate four-tenths. The question is: How much of the candy bar is left?
Breaking It Down
First, let’s look at the portions Jenn and David ate:
- Jenn ate three-tenths of the candy bar.
- David ate four-tenths of the candy bar.
To determine how much candy is left, we need to add the amounts they ate together and then subtract that from the whole candy bar.
Step 1: Add the Amounts Eaten
We can express the portions they ate as fractions:
- Jenn’s portion: 310\frac{3}{10}103
- David’s portion: 410\frac{4}{10}104
Now, let’s add these two fractions together:310+410=710\frac{3}{10} + \frac{4}{10} = \frac{7}{10}103+104=107
So, Jenn and David together ate seven-tenths of the candy bar.
Step 2: Subtract from the Whole
The whole candy bar represents 1, or ten-tenths.
To find out how much is left, we subtract the portion that was eaten from the whole candy bar:1−710=1010−710=3101 – \frac{7}{10} = \frac{10}{10} – \frac{7}{10} = \frac{3}{10}1−107=1010−107=103
Conclusion
After Jenn and David shared the candy bar, three-tenths of the candy bar is left. So, if you were to look at the candy bar, you’d have 3/10 of it remaining. It’s a simple yet great example of how fractions work when sharing and dividing something between people!