Final answer:
The statement is false; the correct function to convert a string with a decimal into a numeric value in Python is float(), not int(). The int() function is used for integers, which are whole numbers without decimals.
Step-by-step explanation:
The answer to the student's question is b. False. In Python, when you want to convert a string value into a numeric value that contains a decimal, the correct function to use is float(), not int(). The int() function is used for converting a string into an integer, which is a whole number without a decimal point. If you try to use int() on a string with a decimal value, you will get a ValueError. Instead, use the float() function to convert strings that represent floating-point numbers (numbers with decimals) into numeric values.