A class is given this question on a test about exponents: A squirrel collects 12 nuts an hour for 12 hours on 12 days. Write an expression with and without exponents to find how many nuts the squirrel collected. Which student is correct? Explain what the incorrect student did incorrectly
The correct expression to find how many nuts the squirrel collected is:
12 nuts/hour * 12 hours/day * 12 days
With exponents, this expression can be written as:
12^3 nuts
Now, let's analyze the incorrect student's answer.
The incorrect student wrote:
12 * 12 * 12
This expression is missing the unit "nuts" and does not indicate that it represents the total number of nuts collected. Additionally, it does not use exponents to represent the repeated multiplication correctly. Therefore, the incorrect student's expression is incomplete and does not accurately represent the number of nuts collected.