Jessie was given the problem 3 2/5÷3/10= to solve. Jessie’s work looks like this:
3 2/5 ÷ 3/10=
17/5 ÷ 3/10=
17x3
17/5 x 3/10= ---------
5x10
51/10 = 1 1/50
Jessie’s answer is incorrect. Answer the following questions about Jessie’s work.
a. Find and describe Jessie’s error.
b. What is the correct answer?
a. Jessie's error occurs when simplifying the expression 17/5 x 3/10. Jessie multiplies the numerators (17 x 3) and the denominators (5 x 10) separately, rather than cross multiplying the fractions.
b. The correct answer is 51/50, which can be simplified to 1 1/50.