Question

Jose measured a plant. It was 0.5 centimeters tall. When he measured it a few weeks later, it had grown another 8 1/10 cm. Now the plant was 13 1/10 cm tall. How would the plant's height be recorded as a decimal?

a) 13.1 cm
b) 13.15 cm
c) 13.5 cm
d) 13.8 cm

Answer 1

To record the plant's height as a decimal, we add the initial height of 0.5 cm to the growth of 8.1 cm to get the current height, which matches the given final height of 13.1 cm.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student asks how to record the plant's height as a decimal after Jose measured its initial height, subsequent growth, and final height. To find the height of the plant in decimal form, we should add the initial height of 0.5 cm to the growth of 8.1 cm (8 1/10 cm). The sum of these two measurements will give the current height of the plant in decimal form.The calculation is as follows: 0.5 cm (initial height) + 8.1 cm (growth) = 8.6 cm (current height). Since the question states the final height is 13.1 cm (13 1/10 cm), this is an additional check to ensure our calculation is correct. If we add the initial height and growth together and the result matches the given final height, we know that the math is correct. In this case, 13.1 cm is indeed the correct decimal representation of the plant's height.