Basic Mathematics for College Students

338 Chapter 4 Decimals

Analyze

• The18-gauge stainless steel is
  0.0500 inch thick. Given


• The 20-gauge stainless steel is
  0.0375 inch thick. Given


• How much thicker is the 18-gauge
  stainless steel? Find
  Form Phrases such as how much older, how much longer,and, in this case,how
  much thicker,indicate subtraction. We translate the words of the problem to
  numbers and symbols.

is equal to minus

 0.0500  0.0375

SolveUse vertical form to perform subtraction:

9

StateThe 18-gauge stainless steel is 0.0125 inch thicker than the 20-gauge.

CheckWe can add to check the subtraction:

The result checks.

Difference

Subtrahend

Minuend

0.01

1

2

1

5

 0.0375

0.0500

0.05

4

0

10

0

10

 0.03 7 5

0.01 2 5

How much

thicker

the thickness of the

20-gauge stainless steel.

the thickness of the

18-gauge stainless steel

How much

thicker

Self Check 11

ALUMINUMHow much thicker

is 16-gauge aluminum that is

0.0508 inch thick than 22-gauge

aluminum that is 0.0253 inch

thick?

Now TryProblem 97

Sometimes more than one operation is needed to solve a problem involving

decimals.

EXAMPLE (^12) Conditioning ProgramsA 350-pound football player
lost 15.7 pounds during the first week of practice. During the second week, he
gained 4.9 pounds. Find his weight after the first two weeks of practice.
Analyze

• The football player’s beginning weight was 350 pounds. Given


• The first week he lost 15.7 pounds. Given


• The second week he gained 4.9 pounds. Given


• What was his weight after two weeks of practice? Find
  Form The word lostindicates subtraction. The word gainedindicates addition. We
  translate the words of the problem to numbers and symbols.

Self Check 12

WRESTLINGA 195.5-pound

wrestler had to lose 6.5 pounds

to make his weight class. After

the weigh-in, he gained back

3.7 pounds. What did he weigh

then?

Now TryProblem 103

is equal to minus plus

 350  15.7  4.9

The player’s weight after

two weeks of practice

the second-week

weight gain.

the first-week

weight loss

his beginning

weight

The player’s weight after

two weeks of practice

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