Final answer:
To simplify the given expression, we first added 5.5 and 4.3 to get 9.8. Then we calculated the denominator by squaring -4 (the result of 2 - 6) to get 16, multiplying it by 4, and finally adding 5 to get 69. The expression simplifies to approximately 0.14.
Step-by-step explanation:
To simplify the expression given by the student, we will first add the numbers in the numerator and then work on the denominator before combining them. The expression is: (5.5 + 4.3) / [(4 * (2 - 6)^2) + 5].
Let's start by calculating the sum in the numerator:
5.5 + 4.3 = 9.8
Now we'll simplify the denominator:
- Calculate the quantity 2 - 6: 2 - 6 = -4
- Square the result of the quantity: (-4)^2 = 16
- Multiply by 4: 4 * 16 = 64
- Add 5 to the result: 64 + 5 = 69
So the entire expression becomes:
9.8 / 69
If we simplify it further, we get:
9.8 / 69 = 0.1420289855 (approximately)
We can round it to:
0.14 (to two decimal places)
The student's expression has been simplified to approximately 0.14.