Jadyn and Leah were in a fishing tournament. Jadyn's fish weighed 2.120 kilograms. Leah's fish weighed 2.12 kilograms.

Part A
Jadyn says his fish weighs more, because 120 is larger than 12. Is he correct? Explain your answer.
Use place value to support your thinking.
(

1 answer

Jadyn's assertion that his fish weighs more because 120 is larger than 12 is not correct when it comes to comparing the weights of their fish. While it may seem at first that the number 120 is greater than 12, we need to consider the place value and the actual weights of the fish.

Jadyn's fish weighs 2.120 kilograms, and Leah's fish weighs 2.12 kilograms. When we express these numbers, we can see them in decimal form:

  • Jadyn's fish: 2.120 can be broken down into:

    • 2 kilograms,
    • 0.1 kilograms (or 100 grams),
    • 0.02 kilograms (or 20 grams),
    • 0.000 kilograms (the last digit is effectively zero).
  • Leah's fish: 2.12 can be broken down into:

    • 2 kilograms,
    • 0.1 kilograms (or 100 grams),
    • 0.02 kilograms (or 20 grams).

When comparing these two weights, we see that the whole numbers (the kilograms) are the same: 2 kilograms.

Now looking at the decimal places:

  • Jadyn's fish has an additional zero (0) in the thousandths place (2.120), while Leah's fish does not have a digit in the thousandths place (2.12 is actually 2.120 when expressed with the same number of decimal places).

Thus, in terms of their actual weights:

  • 2.120 kilograms (Jadyn's fish) = 2.12 kilograms (Leah's fish), because both essentially represent the same weight when we include all decimal places.

Therefore, Jadyn's fish does not weigh more than Leah's fish; they weigh exactly the same, and his conclusion is based on a misunderstanding of how to compare decimals.