Subtraction of Fractions: Hydraulic Jack Fluid Calculation

How much fluid remains in the hydraulic jack?

A hydraulic jack contains 7/8 gallons of fluid. A damaged seal leaked 1/5 gallon of fluid while in use. What is the total amount of fluid remaining in the jack?

Answer:

After the leak, there are 27/40 gallons of fluid left in the hydraulic jack.

Explanation:

The problem involves the subtraction of fractions. Initially, the hydraulic jack had 7/8 gallons of fluid. Due to the leak caused by a damaged seal, 1/5 gallon of fluid was lost. To determine the remaining fluid, we need to subtract the leaked amount from the original amount.

  1. Firstly, we need to convert the fractions to have a common denominator. The least common multiple of 8 and 5 is 40, so we convert 7/8 to 35/40 and 1/5 to 8/40.
  2. Subtract the two fractions: 35/40 - 8/40 = 27/40.
  3. Therefore, there are 27/40 gallons of fluid left in the hydraulic jack after the leakage.
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