Final answer:
The smallest possible total length of the line of 10 metal rods, each rounded to 30 cm, would be 295 cm if each rod was actually 29.5 cm long before rounding.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question is about calculating the smallest possible total length of metal rods laid out end to end when rounded to the nearest centimetre. Since Michaela has 10 metal rods and each rod is 30 cm long when rounded to the nearest centimetre, the smallest possible length before rounding could be just slightly less than 30 cm per rod. If each rod was actually 29.5 cm long, for example, they would round up to 30 cm each, but the total actual length would be less.
So, if each rod was 29.5 cm (the smallest length that still rounds up to 30 cm), and Michaela has 10 rods, the total length of the rods would be:
Total length = 10 rods × 29.5 cm/rod = 295 cm