To determine Jason's mistake, we can first calculate the actual distance he should have walked based on the time and speed provided.
Jason walked for 0.75 hours at a rate of 3.4 miles per hour. The formula for distance is:
\[ \text{Distance} = \text{Rate} \times \text{Time} \]
Substituting in the values:
\[ \text{Distance} = 3.4 , \text{miles per hour} \times 0.75 , \text{hours} = 2.55 , \text{miles} \]
The distance calculated is 2.55 miles, not 0.255 miles.
Now let's assess the options given:
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Jason likely applied his times tables incorrectly, because 3 times 1 = 3 and 0.255 is not near 3.
- This explanation doesn't align well because the numbers aren't related in the way described.
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Jason likely misplaced the decimal, because 3 times 1 = 3, and if the decimal was between the 2 and the 5, the number would be near 3.
- This explanation makes sense. The actual result of the calculation is 2.55 miles, and if Jason incorrectly moved the decimal in his calculation, he could have arrived at 0.255.
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Jason likely applied his times tables incorrectly because there are 3 decimal places in the factors and 3 decimal places in the product.
- This is not a clear explanation related to the nature of his error regarding the misplacement of the decimal.
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Jason likely misplaced the decimal because there is 1 decimal place in the factors and 0 decimal places in the product.
- This is somewhat misleading. While the original numbers do have decimal places, that alone doesn’t explain the precise nature of his mistake.
Therefore, the best explanation is "Jason likely misplaced the decimal, because 3 times 1 = 3, and if the decimal was between the 2 and the 5, the number would be near 3."