Owen lives 145.25 kilometers from Houston, Texas. Sharon lives 209.5 kilometers from Houston. What is the difference between these two distances?
The correct answer and explanation is:
The difference between the distances that Owen and Sharon live from Houston is calculated by subtracting one distance from the other.
To do this:
- Owen’s distance is 145.25 kilometers.
- Sharon’s distance is 209.5 kilometers.
Now subtract Owen’s distance from Sharon’s:
209.5 km – 145.25 km = 64.25 km.
Thus, the difference between the two distances is 64.25 kilometers.
Explanation:
When you are comparing two distances, the difference tells you how much further one location is compared to the other. In this case, you are finding how much farther Sharon’s location is from Houston than Owen’s.
To do this subtraction, it’s important to align the decimal points. Both distances have decimal places, so make sure to line them up correctly:
- 145.25 is the same as 145.250 to make it easier to compare.
- 209.5 is the same as 209.500 to ensure uniformity.
When you subtract 145.250 from 209.500, you simply subtract digit by digit from right to left. If needed, you borrow from the higher place values to make sure the subtraction is done accurately. The result, 64.250, is rounded to 64.25 kilometers when expressed in two decimal places.
Understanding how to perform this type of subtraction is useful in many real-world situations. For example, comparing travel distances, fuel requirements, or time differences between two points can often involve this basic arithmetic operation. The key is ensuring that the units match and aligning the numbers correctly to avoid mistakes in subtraction.