Final answer:
The number that comes before 1040 in base five is 1034_five. This is determined by reducing the rightmost digit, which in base five is one less than the base, therefore the number before 1040_five is 1034_five.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student has asked what comes before the number 1040 in base five (1040_five). In the base five numbering system, each position represents a power of five, with the rightmost position being 5^0 (ones), the next position to the left being 5^1 (fives), and so on. When counting in base five, you increment the rightmost digit until it reaches four, and then you reset it to zero and increment the digit to the left, similar to how you would in a decimal system when a digit reaches nine.
To find the number that comes before 1040_five, we simply need to decrease the ones place by one. However, since the digit in the ones place is already at zero, we must borrow from the fives place. This results in the fives place decreasing from four to three, and the ones place becoming four (since it's base five, the highest digit is four). So the number before 1040_five is 1034_five.