Final answer:
Multiplying any number by 0.5 will always produce a rational number because 0.5 is a rational number, and the product of two rational numbers is rational. Examples include multiplying integers or fractions by 0.5 to get another rational number.
Step-by-step explanation:
Any number multiplied by 0.5 will produce a rational number because 0.5 is a rational number itself, and the product of two rational numbers is always rational. When a number is multiplied by 0.5, it is essentially the same as dividing the number by 2.
As long as the number you're starting with is rational—which includes all integers, fractions, and decimals that have a repeating or terminating sequence—multiplying it by 0.5 will result in another rational number. For example, multiplying 2 by 0.5 yields 1, which is a rational number; similarly, multiplying (-3) by 0.5 gives us -1.5, which is also a rational number. To further elaborate, the multiplication of a rational number such as 0.5 by any other rational number can be thought of as finding a common denominator and adding numerators if you are dealing with fractions.