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A student says that 2 3/5% = 0.02 +0.6=0.62. Is this correct? Why?

User Cyberduck
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1 Answer

2 votes

Final answer:

The student is incorrect; 2 3/5% should be converted to a decimal as follows: convert the mixed number to an improper fraction, which is 13/5, and then divide it by 100 to convert to a decimal, resulting in 0.026.

Step-by-step explanation:

No, the student's statement that 2 3/5% equals 0.62 is incorrect.

To convert 2 3/5% to a decimal, first convert the mixed number to an improper fraction. 2 3/5% is the same as 13/5% or 13/500 when converted directly to a decimal, which gives us 0.026.

The student seems to have added 0.02 (which would be 2%) with 0.6 (which is 60% as a decimal) incorrectly assuming these are the correct equivalents for 2 3/5%.

Conversion Steps:

  1. Convert the mixed number to an improper fraction: 2 3/5 = 13/5.
  2. Understand that percent means per hundred, so convert the fraction to a percentage: 13/5% = (13/5) / 100 = 13/500.
  3. Convert the fraction to a decimal by performing the division: 13 divided by 500 = 0.026.
User Michael Ozeryansky
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