Question

a meteorologist found that the rainfall in weston during the first half of the month was 1/2 of an inch. at the end of the month, he found that the total rainfall for the month was 2 inches. how much did it rain in the second half of the month? write your answer as a fraction or as a whole or mixed number. inches

Explanation:

Step1: Define variables

Let \( x \) be the rainfall in the second half of the month. The rainfall in the first half is \( \frac{1}{2} \) inch, and the total is 2 inches. So the equation is \( \frac{1}{2}+x = 2 \).

Step2: Solve for \( x \)

Subtract \( \frac{1}{2} \) from both sides: \( x=2 - \frac{1}{2} \). Convert 2 to \( \frac{4}{2} \), then \( x=\frac{4}{2}-\frac{1}{2}=\frac{3}{2}=1\frac{1}{2} \).

Answer:

\( 1\frac{1}{2} \) (or \( \frac{3}{2} \))