Final answer:
By dividing the total amount of medicine (1/2 of a bottle) by the amount each cat received (1/10 of a bottle), we find that the veterinarian gave medicine to 5 cats, making option b) the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question deals with dividing a quantity of medicine among several cats and finding out how many cats received medicine based on the fractions provided. To solve this, we consider that 1/2 of a bottle of medicine was divided equally among some cats, and each cat received 1/10 of a bottle. To find the number of cats, we need to divide the total amount of medicine given out (1/2 of a bottle) by the amount each cat received (1/10). Dividing fractions is the same as multiplying by the reciprocal. So, we calculate (1/2) divided by (1/10) which is (1/2) * (10/1) = 5. Therefore, the veterinarian gave medicine to 5 cats. Option b) is the correct answer.