Final answer:
The correct answer is A. The product is smaller than 4/17 because multiplying by a fraction smaller than 1 results in a smaller product.
Step-by-step explanation:
If you multiply a fraction, such as 4/17, by another fraction that is smaller than 1, the resultant product will always be smaller than the original fraction. This is because the original fraction is being multiplied by a number less than itself. The reasoning behind this is that you are effectively taking a part of a part, which shrinks the overall value. Therefore, the correct choice in the context of the provided question is A. The product is smaller than 4/17.
To multiply fractions, you simply multiply the numerators (top numbers) and then multiply the denominators (bottom numbers). Since any number from 0 to 1 multiplied by another number will yield a product less than or equal to the original number, this principle applies to fractions as well.