(01.02)
Explain how to use estimation to help find the product of two decimals. Give an example with both estimated and actual answers. (5 points)
Estimation can be used to find the product of two decimals by rounding the numbers to a simpler value and multiplying them together.
Here's an example:
Let's say we want to find the product of 3.58 and 2.13.
Step 1: Round the decimals to a simpler value. For example, we can round 3.58 to 4 and 2.13 to 2.
Step 2: Multiply the rounded numbers together. In this case, 4 multiplied by 2 is equal to 8.
So, the estimated product of 3.58 and 2.13 is 8.
To find the actual product, we would multiply the original decimals together using long multiplication:
3.58
x 2.13
______
7160
+7152
______
7635.54
So, the actual product of 3.58 and 2.13 is 7,635.54.
In this example, estimation helped us quickly calculate a rough estimate of the product (8) without the need for complex calculations. However, for precise calculations, we need to use the actual decimals.