Final answer:
If the fence length is increased by a ratio of 17/10, the number of smaller posts needed would also be 1.7 times the original amount, assuming equal spacing between the posts.
Step-by-step explanation:
If the length of the fence is multiplied by 17/10, the amount of smaller posts required would be multiplied by the same ratio, assuming the posts are evenly spaced along the fence. This is because if you increase the length of the fence, maintaining the same distance between each post, you will need more posts to cover the new length. So the answer to how many of the smaller posts the fence would have is c) 1.7 times the smaller posts.