Jessie was given the problem 3 2/5 divided by 3/10 = to solve. Jessie’s work looks like this: 3 2/5 divided by 3/10 17/5 divided by 3/10 17/5 divided by 3/10 17/5 divided by 3/10 = 17•3/ 5•10 51/50 = 1 1/50
Jessie’s answer is incorrect. Answer the following questions about Jessie’s work.
Find and describe Jessie’s error
What is the correct answer?
Jessie made an error when dividing the fractions 17/5 and 3/10. To divide fractions, you need to multiply the first fraction by the reciprocal of the second fraction. Instead, Jessie multiplied the whole number 17 by 3 and the denominators 5 and 10 together which resulted in an incorrect answer.
The correct answer to the problem 3 2/5 divided by 3/10 is 1 1/50.