Problem of the Week - Middle School - Jan. 10, 2021 to Jan. 16, 2021

Middle School: 

Question: An anemone catches 10 pounds of food over the course of a week and consumes 62.5% of it. A school of clownfish that lives with the anemones eat 3/8 of the anemone's uneaten prey. What percentage of the anemone's food goes uneaten?

Answer: 23.4375%

Solution: Since 62.5% of the anemone’s prey is eaten, that means 100% – 62.5% = 37.5% of it is not eaten. The clownfish eat 3/8 of the leftovers, so they leave 1 – 3/8 = 5/8 uneaten. So, since 5/8 = 62.5%, we need to find 62.5% of 37.5%. We do that by multiplying 0.625 × 0.375 = 0.234375 = 23.4375%.