Question

Find each product without using a calculator \(100 \times 0.0436\)

Short answer

The product is 4.36.

Step-by-step solution

Understand the Problem

We need to find the product of 100 and 0.0436 without using a calculator.

Multiplication by 100

When multiplying by 100, you can move the decimal point two places to the right in the number you are multiplying. Therefore, move the decimal point in 0.0436 two places to the right.

Perform the Calculation

Move the decimal point: 0.0436 becomes 4.36 (as we moved the decimal point two places to the right).

Final Answer

Now, the product of 100 and 0.0436 is 4.36.

Key concepts

decimal point movement

To multiply by 100, you need to understand how to move the decimal point. This is a simple and effective method. Each time you multiply a number by 10, you move the decimal point one place to the right.
When multiplying by 100, move the decimal point two places to the right.
Let's take an example to understand this better. If you have the number 0.0436 and want to multiply it by 100, move the decimal point two places to the right.
This will transform 0.0436 into 4.36.
As you see, moving the decimal point makes multiplication by 100 very easy.

basic arithmetic

Basic arithmetic involves simple operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Being good at these basic operations helps you tackle more complex problems.
In our exercise, we use multiplication, which involves combining equal groups of a number.
For instance, multiplying 100 by 0.0436 means combining 100 groups of 0.0436 each.
The trick of moving the decimal point simplifies this arithmetic operation without needing a calculator.

product calculation

Calculating the product means finding the result of multiplying two numbers.
In our example, the product we need to find is 100 times 0.0436.
Instead of performing the actual multiplication step by step, we use the decimal point movement trick to simplify our calculations.
By moving the decimal two places to the right, we quickly find that 100 times 0.0436 equals 4.36.

mathematical steps

Breaking down the problem into smaller steps makes the solution clearer.
Our exercise had four main steps:

• Step 1: Understand the problem and identify what you need to find.
• Step 2: Use the trick of moving the decimal point for multiplication by 100.
• Step 3: Perform the actual movement of the decimal point.
• Step 4: Confirm your final result.

These steps help organize the problem-solving process and make it easier to understand and solve.