Final answer:
The student needs approximately 2.115 cups of olive oil for 1/2 liter as indicated by the provided conversion equation (y = 4.23x).
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's grandmother's recipe for pesto requires 1/2 liter of olive oil. To determine how many cups of olive oil are needed, we can use the equation y = 4.23x, where y is the number of cups, and x is the number of liters. Since x is 1/2 liter, we substitute into the equation to find y.
y = 4.23 × (1/2)
Now, multiplying 4.23 by 0.5:
y = 4.23 × 0.5
y = 2.115
Therefore, Mario needs approximately 2.115 cups of olive oil for his pesto recipe. It's important to note that this is a precise measurement based on the given conversion equation rather than an approximation.