High School

Critique the reasoning:

Sam is preparing a recipe for an organic cleaning solution. The new recipe calls for 15 tsp of orange oil. To find how many tbsp this is, Sam converted it this way:

Conversion factor:
1 tbsp = 3 tsp

32 - 5 tbsp = 45 tbsp

What error did Sam make?

A. Sam made no error.
B. Sam made a calculation error.
C. Sam made a conversion error.
D. Sam's method was correct.

Answer :

Final answer:

Sam made a conversion error. He used the wrong conversion factor when converting from teaspoons to tablespoons.

Explanation:

Sam made a conversion error. To find how many tablespoons the 15 tsp of orange oil is, Sam used the incorrect conversion factor. The correct conversion factor is 1 tbsp = 3 tsp, not 1 tbsp = 5 tsp. Let's calculate the correct conversion:

15 tsp * (1 tbsp / 3 tsp) = 5 tbsp

Therefore, Sam should have gotten 5 tbsp of orange oil, not 45 tbsp. Sam's error was in using the wrong conversion factor.

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