Question

the employee used the wrong formula.
the employee subtracted the wrong percents.
the employee used the wrong equivalent decimal for 15 percent.
the employee multiplied incorrectly.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

1. "The employee used the wrong formula": Without context of the formula, this is less likely.
2. "The employee subtracted the wrong percents": Subtraction of percents isn’t implied here (the issue is about decimal conversion or multiplication).
3. "The employee used the wrong equivalent decimal for 15 percent": 15% as a decimal is \( 0.15 \). If the employee used an incorrect decimal (e.g., \( 0.015 \) or \( 1.5 \)), this would be the error.
4. "The employee multiplied incorrectly": If the decimal was correct, multiplication error is possible, but the most probable error related to percent conversion is using the wrong decimal for 15%.

Answer:

The employee used the wrong equivalent decimal for 15 percent.