Tom is showing his work in simplifying (5.2 – 8.5) – 0.5 + 6.8. In which step did Tom make an error?
Step 1:: (5.2 – 8.5) – 0.5 + 6.8
Step 2: 5.2 + (–8.5 – 0.5) + 6.8 (distributive property)
Step 3: 5.2 – 9 + 6.8
Step 4: 5.2 + 6.8 – 9 (commutative property)
Step 5: 12 – 9 = 3
In step 2.
5.2 + ( – 8.5 – 0.5 ) + 6.8
This is associative property, because he just ragrouped the terms.
thanks
chii[ken nw993t
Tom made an error in Step 3. Let's break down the steps to see where the mistake occurred.
Step 1: (5.2 – 8.5) – 0.5 + 6.8
Step 2: 5.2 + (–8.5 – 0.5) + 6.8 (using the distributive property)
Step 3: 5.2 – 9 + 6.8
In Step 3, Tom made an error by subtracting 9 from 5.2. It should have been 5.2 - 9 = -3.8.
To solve this correctly, we can continue from Step 3:
Step 4: 5.2 - 9 + 6.8 = -3.8 + 6.8
Step 5: -3.8 + 6.8 = 3
So, the correct final answer is 3. Tom made an error in Step 3 by subtracting incorrectly.