Question

Toby needs to find 1,189.5÷6.5. Choose the answer that best explains how to find the quotient.

a. Multiply 1,189.5 and 6.5 by 10 and divide.
b. Multiply 1,185.6 and 6.5 by 5 and divide.
c. Multiply 1,185.6 by 6.5 and divide.
d. Add 6.5 to 1,185.5 and divide.

Answer 1

To calculate the quotient of 1,189.5 divided by 6.5, multiply both numbers by 10 to remove the decimals and then divide the resulting whole numbers.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the quotient of 1,189.5÷6.5, the best method is option a: Multiply both 1,189.5 and 6.5 by 10 and divide by the new numbers, which simplifies the division process. This is because multiplying by 10 simply moves the decimal place one position to the right for both numbers, making them whole numbers, which are easier to divide.

Here’s the step-by-step explanation:

1. Multiply 1,189.5 by 10 to get 11,895.
2. Multiply 6.5 by 10 to get 65.
3. Now divide 11,895 by 65 to find the quotient.

Other choices would not simplify the problem correctly, and could lead to confusion or incorrect results. For example, there is no reason to multiply by 5 (option b), multiplying without division wouldn't be productive (option c), and adding a number before division (option d) would change the value of the result.