The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer to the calculation 0.36 ÷ 0.02 is 18.
Here is a detailed explanation of how to arrive at this solution.
When you are asked to divide by a decimal, such as 0.02, the most effective strategy is to convert the problem into one that involves whole numbers. This makes the calculation much simpler to perform and understand. The fundamental principle we use here is that the value of a division problem does not change if you multiply both the dividend (the number being divided) and the divisor (the number you are dividing by) by the same non-zero number.
In this specific problem, our divisor is 0.02. To turn this decimal into a whole number, we need to move its decimal point two places to the right. Moving a decimal point one place to the right is equivalent to multiplying by 10, so moving it two places to the right requires multiplying by 100.
So, our first step is to multiply the divisor by 100:
0.02 × 100 = 2
Because we multiplied the divisor by 100, we must do the exact same thing to the dividend, 0.36, to keep the expression equivalent.
0.36 × 100 = 36
Now, our original problem of 0.36 ÷ 0.02 has been transformed into the much easier, equivalent problem of 36 ÷ 2.
The final step is to perform this simple division:
36 ÷ 2 = 18
You can also think of this in terms of fractions. The expression 0.36 ÷ 0.02 is the same as the fraction 0.36/0.02. Multiplying the numerator and the denominator of a fraction by the same number does not change its value. By multiplying both by 100, we get 36/2, which simplifies directly to 18. This method consistently works for any division involving decimals and provides a clear path to the correct solution.
