Consider the following expressions:

−6+3⋅5______blank16−−√+32÷8.

Which operator can be inserted to make the statement true?

(1 point)
Responses

<
less than


less-than-or-equal-to

>
greater than

=
equals

1 answer

To solve the expressions, we will evaluate both sides separately:

  1. Left Side: \(-6 + 3 \cdot 5\)

    • First, perform the multiplication: \(3 \cdot 5 = 15\)
    • Now, add: \(-6 + 15 = 9\)
  2. Right Side: \(16 - \sqrt{16} + 32 \div 8\)

    • First, compute the square root: \(\sqrt{16} = 4\)
    • Now compute the division: \(32 \div 8 = 4\)
    • Substitute these results into the expression: \(16 - 4 + 4\)
    • Perform the operations from left to right: \(16 - 4 = 12\) then \(12 + 4 = 16\)

Now we compare the two results:

  • Left Side = 9
  • Right Side = 16

Now we can determine the correct operator:

  • \(9 < 16\) (less than)
  • \(9 > 16\) (greater than) would be false
  • \(9 = 16\) (equals) would be false
  • \(9 ≤ 16\) (less-than-or-equal-to) is true as well

The correct operators that can be inserted are:

  • \( < \) (less than)
  • \( ≤ \) (less-than-or-equal-to)

However, since the question typically implies finding one operator to satisfy the comparison, the best answer would be:

< (less than) as it is the most straightforward comparison in this scenario.

So, the final correct response is < (less than).