Question

Ms. Pena is grading math tests. If 212 x 51 = 10,812, is the student’s work below correct? Explain

2.12 x 5.1 = 1.0812

Answer 1

No, a common rule of multiplying decimals is to count the amount of decimals places in the equation, there’s one decimal place in 2.12 and one decimal place in 5.1 meaning that in the answer the decimal should be in the second position. In this case the answer would be 2.12 x 5.1 = 10.812, the student is wrong because he had his decimal in the wrong position.