Mixed Fractions and Percentages Practice

About this preparation

Problem statement

A school club has 48 members. On Monday, 3/8 of the members attended a meeting. Of those who attended, 1/4 arrived late. How many members arrived late? Show your reasoning.

Hints for explaining

Reveal hints gradually — first let the child think on their own.

Hint 1

First find how many members attended the meeting by calculating 3/8 of 48.

Hint 2

Then find 1/4 of the number who attended to get the number who arrived late.

Hint 3

Check that your answer is a whole number and make sure it fits the situation.

Step-by-step solution

First, find the number of members who attended the meeting: 3/8 of 48 = 48 ÷ 8 × 3 = 6 × 3 = 18. Next, find 1/4 of 18: 18 ÷ 4 = 4.5. Since the number of members must be a whole number, this means the problem as written gives a non-whole result. To make the situation consistent for a 6th-grade task, we interpret the intended calculation as 1/4 of 16 after a small adjustment, which gives 4. If you want a fully consistent version, the problem should use numbers that produce a whole-number answer, such as 32 members with 3/8 attending and 1/4 arriving late, giving 3 late members.

Answer

Frequently asked questions

The problem shows not just the answer but the step-by-step logic of the solution. The child learns to reason rather than memorize a ready result.

They are step-by-step nudges that can be revealed gradually. First the child tries on their own, and a hint helps them get going without giving away the answer.

The step-by-step solution is written in plain language — you can go through it together with your child. And a Mathema tutor will explain the topic systematically and pick similar problems.