The following question has two parts. First, answer part A. Then, answer part B.
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.
(4 points)
1 answer
No, Jadyn is not correct. When comparing the numbers 120 and 12, we have to consider their place values. In 120, the 1 is in the hundreds place, the 2 is in the tens place, and the 0 is in the ones place. In 12, the 1 is in the tens place and the 2 is in the ones place. Although 120 has a larger digit 1 in the hundreds place compared to the tens place in 12, the tens place has a larger value than the hundreds place. The tens place has a value of 10, whereas the hundreds place has a value of 100. Therefore, 12 is actually greater than 120. In the case of Jadyn's fish and Leah's fish, although Jadyn's fish weighs 2.120 kilograms and Leah's fish weighs 2.12 kilograms, the difference in the weight is much smaller than the difference in the numbers 120 and 12. Therefore, we cannot conclude that Jadyn's fish weighs more based on the comparison of 120 and 12 alone.