Question

Reasoning: If you multiply two decimals that are less than 1, can you predict whether the product will be less than or greater than either of the factors? Explain.

a) Yes, it will always be greater.
b) Yes, it will always be less.
c) It depends on the specific decimals being multiplied.
d) No, the product will be equal to one of the factors.

Answer 1

Multiplying two decimals less than 1 always results in a product that is less than either of the original factors since you're multiplying fractions of one.

Step-by-step explanation:

When you multiply two decimals that are less than 1, you can predict that the product will always be less than either of the factors. This is because each decimal represents a fraction of one, and when you multiply these fractions, the result is a smaller fraction of one. For example, if you multiply 0.5 (which is half of one) by 0.2 (which is a fifth of one), the product is 0.1, which is less than 0.5 and also less than 0.2.