Final answer:
Zara correctly multiplied 4 tens by 2 to get 80. The question involves understanding place value and exponent notation, such as moving the decimal places correctly for positive and negative exponents.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves basic arithmetic and understanding of place values, specifically how to multiply by powers of ten. Zara's mistake was that she multiplied 4 tens by 2 to get 80, which is actually correct—there is no mistake in this calculation.
Multiplying 4 tens (which is 40) by 2 does indeed result in 80.
In context, however, to address similar problems, students must also understand exponent notation and dealing with negative exponents.
For example, when seeing 1.6 × 10², they correctly move the decimal two places to the right to get 160.
For a number like 2.4 × 10⁻², the decimal point is moved two places to the left, resulting in 0.024. This process is often used in mathematical problems, emphasizing the flexibility in approaches to solve these problems and achieve the same result.