Multiply −2 1/2 by −1 3/5. Write the answer as a decimal.(1 point) Responses 2.86 2.86 4 4 −4 negative 4 −4.1

Answer 1

To multiply the mixed numbers \(-2 \frac{1}{2}\) and \(-1 \frac{3}{5}\), we first convert them to improper fractions.

1. Convert \(-2 \frac{1}{2}\) to an improper fraction: \[ -2 \frac{1}{2} = -\left(2 \times 2 + 1\right)/2 = -\frac{5}{2} \]

2. Convert \(-1 \frac{3}{5}\) to an improper fraction: \[ -1 \frac{3}{5} = -\left(1 \times 5 + 3\right)/5 = -\frac{8}{5} \]

Now multiply the two improper fractions: \[ -\frac{5}{2} \times -\frac{8}{5} = \frac{5 \times 8}{2 \times 5} \] The negative signs cancel, so we calculate: \[ \frac{40}{10} = 4 \]

Now, we need to convert the answer 4 to a decimal, which is simply: \[ 4.0 \]

Thus, the answer is: \[ 4 \]