Stephen and Alice are reading the same book for a book club. Stephen reads 278 pages in 7 weeks. Alice reads 31 pages each week. About how many more pages does Stephen read each week than Alice?
a. 0
b. 70
c. 10
d. 20
The correct answer and explanation is:
To find how many more pages Stephen reads each week than Alice, we calculate the average number of pages Stephen reads per week and compare it to the number of pages Alice reads each week.
Step 1: Calculate Stephen’s weekly reading rate
Stephen reads 278 pages in 7 weeks. The average number of pages he reads per week is: Stephen’s weekly reading rate=2787=39.71 pages per week (approximately)\text{Stephen’s weekly reading rate} = \frac{278}{7} = 39.71 \, \text{pages per week (approximately)}
Step 2: Compare Stephen’s weekly reading rate to Alice’s
Alice reads 31 pages each week. To find how many more pages Stephen reads per week, subtract Alice’s weekly reading rate from Stephen’s: Difference=Stephen’s weekly rate−Alice’s weekly rate\text{Difference} = \text{Stephen’s weekly rate} – \text{Alice’s weekly rate} Difference=39.71−31=8.71 pages per week (approximately 9 pages)\text{Difference} = 39.71 – 31 = 8.71 \, \text{pages per week (approximately 9 pages)}
Step 3: Round and choose the correct option
From the calculations, Stephen reads approximately 9 more pages per week than Alice. However, since this does not perfectly match the answer choices, none of the options accurately reflect the precise value. If you want, I can adjust for rounding interpretations. Let me know!