Question

Which of the following steps could be used as a shortcut method to multiply 12 by 50?

A. Divide 12 by 2, then multiply that result by 50
B. Add 12 and 50, then multiply that result by 10
C. Multiply 12 by 100, then divide that result by 2
D. Multiply 12 by 5 and then multiply that result by 100

Answer 1

The answer is C. Multiply 12 by 100, then divide that result by 2.

Answer 2

We must remember that 50 x 2 = 100. Multiplying numbers by 100 would be easier since all we have to do is add two zeros after. For example, 62 x100 = 6200. Since we multiplied a number by 2, we must divide it by 2 after getting the product. To make this more clearer, for 12 x 50, for example, we have 12 x 50 = (12 x 100)/2 = 1200/2 = 600 Thus, the answer is C.