Maria has to spend 5 1/2 hours to finish her community service program in a community health clinic. Last week, she was able to spend 3 3/4 hours. Which equation can be used to determine the number of hours, h, that Maria still needs to spend to complete her service program?

Question

Maria has to spend 5 1/2 hours to finish her community service program in a community health clinic. Last week, she was able to spend 3 3/4 hours. Which equation can be used to determine the number of hours, h, that Maria still needs to spend to complete her service program?

Answer 1

The equation that can be used to determine the number of hours, h, that Maria still needs to spend to complete her service program is:

h = 5 1/2 - 3 3/4

Answer 2

To determine the number of hours that Maria still needs to spend to complete her service program, we can subtract the hours she has already spent from the total number of hours she needs to spend. Therefore, the equation can be written as:

h = 5 1/2 hours - 3 3/4 hours

Simplifying this equation, we get:

h = 11/2 hours - 15/4 hours

To subtract these fractions, we need to have a common denominator, which in this case is 4. Multiplying the numerator and denominator of 11/2 by 2, and the numerator and denominator of 15/4 by 1, we have:

h = 22/4 hours - 15/4 hours

Now, we can subtract the fractions:

h = (22 - 15)/4 hours

h = 7/4 hours

Therefore, the equation that can be used to determine the number of hours, h, that Maria still needs to spend to complete her service program is:

h = 7/4 hours

Answer 3

To determine the number of hours Maria still needs to spend to complete her service program, we can use the equation:

Total hours needed - Hours already spent = Hours remaining.

Let's break down the given information first:

Total hours needed = 5 1/2 hours
Hours already spent = 3 3/4 hours

To represent these values as mixed numbers, we convert them as follows:

Total hours needed = 5 1/2 = 11/2
Hours already spent = 3 3/4 = 15/4

Now, substituting these values into the equation, we have:

h (hours remaining) = 11/2 - 15/4

To subtract the fractions, we need a common denominator. The smallest number both 2 and 4 can divide into is 4. So, let's convert the fractions to have a denominator of 4:

h = (11/2) - (15/4)
h = (11/2) * (2/2) - (15/4)
h = 22/4 - 15/4

Now, we can subtract the fractions:

h = (22 - 15)/4
h = 7/4

Therefore, the equation that can be used to determine the number of hours, h, that Maria still needs to spend to complete her service program is:

h = 7/4.