A model of the ocean floor takes up 2/5 of the space in an aquarium. if 3/8 of the model is coral, what fraction of the space in the aquarium is taken by coral?

(2/5) * (3/8) = 6/40 = 3/20

3/20

6/40

3/20

To find the fraction of the space in the aquarium taken by coral, we need to multiply the fraction of the coral in the model by the fraction of the model that takes up the space in the aquarium.

Given:
Fraction of the model that takes up the space in the aquarium = 2/5
Fraction of the model that is coral = 3/8

To get the fraction of the space in the aquarium taken by coral:
Multiply 2/5 by 3/8.

Step 1: Multiply the numerators (top numbers): 2 * 3 = 6
Step 2: Multiply the denominators (bottom numbers): 5 * 8 = 40

Thus, the fraction of the space in the aquarium taken by coral is 6/40.

However, we can simplify this fraction by dividing the numerator and denominator by their greatest common divisor. In this case, the greatest common divisor of 6 and 40 is 2.

Step 3: Divide both numerator and denominator by 2: 6/2 = 3, 40/2 = 20

So, the simplified fraction is 3/20. Therefore, 3/20 of the space in the aquarium is taken by coral.