High School

A carpenter has a length of wood measuring [tex]$\frac{5}{8}$[/tex] metre. He cuts [tex]$\frac{1}{4}$[/tex] metre from it. How much wood is left?

A) [tex]$\frac{1}{8}$[/tex] metre
B) [tex]$\frac{1}{4}$[/tex] metre
C) [tex]$\frac{3}{8}$[/tex] metre
D) [tex]$\frac{1}{2}$[/tex] metre

Answer :

Sure! Let's figure out how much wood is left after the carpenter makes the cut.

1. Start with the initial length of wood:
The carpenter has a piece of wood that measures [tex]\(\frac{5}{8}\)[/tex] meter.

2. Length of wood cut:
The carpenter cuts off a piece measuring [tex]\(\frac{1}{4}\)[/tex] meter from the original piece.

3. Find the remaining length of wood:
To find out how much wood is left, subtract the length of wood that was cut from the initial length.

[tex]\[
\text{Remaining length} = \frac{5}{8} - \frac{1}{4}
\][/tex]

4. Convert fractions to have a common denominator:
To subtract the fractions, they need to have the same denominator. Both [tex]\(\frac{5}{8}\)[/tex] and [tex]\(\frac{1}{4}\)[/tex] need a common denominator of 8.

Convert [tex]\(\frac{1}{4}\)[/tex] to have a denominator of 8:
[tex]\[
\frac{1}{4} = \frac{2}{8}
\][/tex]

5. Subtract the fractions:
Now, subtract [tex]\(\frac{2}{8}\)[/tex] from [tex]\(\frac{5}{8}\)[/tex]:

[tex]\[
\frac{5}{8} - \frac{2}{8} = \frac{3}{8}
\][/tex]

The remaining length of the wood is [tex]\(\frac{3}{8}\)[/tex] meter.

Thus, the correct answer is:
c) [tex]\(\frac{3}{8}\)[/tex] metre.