Chained division with small decimals: Evaluate 99.999 ÷ 0.99 ÷ 0.00991234 and select the closest option.

Difficulty: Medium

Correct Answer: 10000

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
A chained division by decimals is equivalent to multiplying by their reciprocals. Dividing by a number just under 1 increases the value slightly, and dividing by a very small number (around 0.01) increases it by around two orders of magnitude, guiding us toward the right scale of the answer.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • a = 99.999
  • b = 0.99
  • c = 0.00991234


Concept / Approach:
Compute sequentially: (99.999 / 0.99) ≈ 101.0, then divide that by c ≈ 0.0099, which is close to multiplying by ~101. The magnitude suggests a result near ten thousand. Choose the closest option accordingly.


Step-by-Step Solution:

Step 1: 99.999 / 0.99 ≈ 101.0Step 2: 101.0 / 0.00991234 ≈ 101.0 * (≈100.88) ≈ 10200 (ballpark)Exact calculation is about 10190


Verification / Alternative check:
Back-of-the-envelope: 100 / (0.01) = 10000, and our inputs are slightly adjusted from these round anchors, so ~10,000 is very reasonable. The nearest option is 10,000.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

  • 100, 1000: too small by orders of magnitude.
  • 100000: too large by about a factor of 10.
  • 12000: closer than others but still farther than 10000 from the true ≈10190 when considering the coarse options.


Common Pitfalls:
Assuming that dividing by 0.99 reduces the value (it actually increases it), or mishandling decimal places in the tiny divisor 0.0099....


Final Answer:
10000

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