Question

What should the following equation, \(4.1x \times 3.78 = 8.9\), be multiplied by to eliminate the decimals?

a) 50
b) 20
c) 100
d) 10

Select the correct multiplier to eliminate decimals in the given equation.

Answer 1

To eliminate the decimals in the equation 4.1x × 3.78 = 8.9, we multiply the entire equation by 100, transforming it into 410x × 378 = 890, resulting in a whole number equation.

Step-by-step explanation:

To eliminate the decimals in the equation 4.1x × 3.78 = 8.9, we need to find a multiplier that will make all the numbers whole. We want to move the decimal point two places to the right for the largest number of decimal places in the equation, which is two in this case. Therefore, we multiply the entire equation by 100.

For instance, multiplying a number like 45.86 by 100 moves the decimal point two places to the right, resulting in 4586, a whole number. Similarly, when we multiply each term in the equation by 100, we get:

• 4.1x × 100 = 410x
• 3.78 × 100 = 378
• 8.9 × 100 = 890

Now the equation without decimals is 410x × 378 = 890. The correct answer is c) 100.