Question

Bruno says that the product n x 4/5 is greater than 4/5 because multiplication always increases a number. Which of the following values for show that Bruno is incorrect? 8/8 6/5 5/4 3/4 2​

Answer 1

The fourth option shows how Bruno is incorrect

Explanation:

Multiplication does not always result in a number greater than the initial value. If n can be any value, then Bruno's claim is false. For instance, multiplying a value greater than one by a decimal will perform the inverse operation (division):

3 × 0.87 = 2.61

When multiplying fractions of 1, this occurs when the multiplied number is greater than the multiplier:

0.55 × 0.21 = 0.1155

If decimals are not allowed, multiplying positive and negative values will give the positive result but with the inverse sign, which is less than the initial one since the result is less than 0:

12 × -2 = -24

Now back to the example. If we let n = 0.75 (3/4);

0.8 × 0.75 = 0.6

Hope that clears things up.