Home > CC2 > Chapter 3 > Lesson 3.2.4 > Problem 3-74
Mentally calculate the following products. Use the rule for decimal multiplication to write an equation in which the decimal point is written in the correct location.
Think: A small number times a small number is a ____ number.
A negative number times a negative number is a _____ number.
Multiply
and move the decimal three places to the left.
See part (a).
Stacey said, “Stephanie, look at my answer to the last problem,
. Usually when I multiply, I get a bigger answer than the numbers I start with. Twenty-eight hundredths, , is less than either or . I must have made a mistake.” Stephanie responded, “Well, one half times one half is one fourth, and one fourth is less then one half. I think when you multiply by a fraction or decimal less than one, you get less than you started with.”
Write a sentence or two about who you think is correct and why.
Stephanie is correct. Why?