What is the height in meters of a person who is 6 ft 6.5 in. tall? h = \text{ } m (rounded to the second decimal) Submit Question
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
h = 1.99 m (rounded to the second decimal)
Explanation:
To determine the height in meters of a person who is 6 feet and 6.5 inches tall, we need to convert the measurements from the imperial system (feet and inches) to the metric system (meters). This process involves a few clear steps.
First, it is helpful to express the total height in a single imperial unit, such as inches. We know that there are 12 inches in 1 foot. Therefore, we can convert the ‘feet’ portion of the height into inches by multiplying the number of feet by 12.
Calculation for feet to inches:
6 feet × 12 inches/foot = 72 inches
Now, we add the remaining 6.5 inches to this value to get the person’s total height in inches.
Total height in inches:
72 inches + 6.5 inches = 78.5 inches
The next step is to convert the total height from inches to meters. The universally accepted conversion factor is that 1 inch is equal to exactly 0.0254 meters. Using this factor, we can find the equivalent height in meters by multiplying the total inches by 0.0254.
Calculation for inches to meters:
78.5 inches × 0.0254 meters/inch = 1.9939 meters
Finally, the problem asks for the answer to be rounded to the second decimal place. To do this, we look at the third decimal digit in our result, which is 1.9939. The third digit is 3. The rule for rounding is that if this digit is 4 or less, we keep the preceding digit the same. Since 3 is less than 5, we do not round up the second decimal digit.
Rounding the result:
1.9939 ≈ 1.99
Therefore, the height of a person who is 6 feet 6.5 inches tall is approximately 1.99 meters.
