Vermont had 3 inches of snow on the ground before the sun melted 2 inches. The next storm tripled the amount on the ground. The sun then melted 1 1⁄2 inches. How many inches of snow are left on the ground?

The answer is 1 1/2 inches.

After the sun melted 2 inches of the initial 3 inches, there was 1 inch of snow left on the ground.

The next storm tripled this amount, bringing it to 3 inches.
After the sun melted 1 1/2 inches of the 3 inches from the second storm, there is 1 1/2 inches of snow left on the ground.

what is the answer

To find out how many inches of snow are left on the ground, we'll start with the initial amount of snow and follow the given information step by step. Let's break it down:

1. Initial snowfall: Vermont had 3 inches of snow on the ground.
2. Sun melted 2 inches: Subtract 2 inches from the initial 3 inches. We are left with 3 - 2 = 1 inch.
3. Next storm tripled the amount: Multiply the remaining 1 inch by 3. This gives us 1 * 3 = 3 inches.
4. Sun melted 1 1/2 inches: Subtract 1 1/2 inches from the total after the next storm of 3 inches. To do this, we need to convert 1 1/2 into a decimal. 1 1/2 is the same as 1.5 inches. Subtracting 1.5 inches from 3 inches, we obtain 3 - 1.5 = 1.5 inches.

Therefore, there are 1.5 inches of snow left on the ground in Vermont.