To determine how many hours Ronald spent on his homework, let's follow these steps:
1. Express Candice's time in a consistent format:
Candice spent [tex]\(5 \frac{1}{4}\)[/tex] hours on homework. To make the calculations easier, we can convert this mixed number into an improper fraction:
[tex]\[
5 \frac{1}{4} = 5 + \frac{1}{4} = \frac{20}{4} + \frac{1}{4} = \frac{21}{4}
\][/tex]
2. Calculate Ronald's time:
Ronald spent [tex]\(\frac{1}{2}\)[/tex] of the time Candice spent. So, we need to find [tex]\(\frac{1}{2}\)[/tex] of [tex]\(\frac{21}{4}\)[/tex]:
[tex]\[
\text{Ronald's hours} = \frac{1}{2} \times \frac{21}{4} = \frac{21}{8}
\][/tex]
3. Convert to a mixed number:
To express [tex]\(\frac{21}{8}\)[/tex] as a mixed number, we divide 21 by 8:
[tex]\[
21 \div 8 = 2 \text{ remainder } 5
\][/tex]
This means:
[tex]\[
\frac{21}{8} = 2 \frac{5}{8}
\][/tex]
So, Ronald spent [tex]\(2 \frac{5}{8}\)[/tex] hours on his homework. Therefore, the correct answer is:
B. [tex]\(2 \frac{5}{8}\)[/tex]
