A tailor has 37.5 metres of cloth. He uses each metre of cloth to make 8 equal pieces. How many such pieces in total can he make from the entire length of cloth?

Introduction / Context:
This is a straightforward application of the unitary method and decimal multiplication. The question checks whether you can interpret the statement correctly and multiply a decimal quantity by a whole number to get the total count of pieces formed from a given length of cloth.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Total cloth available = 37.5 metres.
• From each metre of cloth, the tailor can cut 8 equal pieces.
• The cutting process is assumed to be exact with no wastage.
• We must find the total number of equal pieces that can be made.

Concept / Approach:
The key idea is to treat the number of pieces per metre as a constant rate, then multiply that rate by the total number of metres. This is a direct use of the unitary method: if 1 metre gives 8 pieces, then 37.5 metres give 37.5 times 8 pieces. Handling the decimal 37.5 correctly is essential for obtaining the right answer.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Pieces obtained from 1 metre of cloth = 8 pieces.Total length of cloth = 37.5 metres.Total pieces = 37.5 × 8.Compute 37.5 × 8 by breaking it: 30 × 8 = 240 and 7.5 × 8 = 60.Add the partial products: 240 + 60 = 300.Therefore, the tailor can make 300 pieces from 37.5 metres of cloth.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can verify using fraction representation. Write 37.5 as 75/2. Then total pieces = (75/2) × 8 = 75 × 4 = 300. This confirms that both decimal multiplication and fractional multiplication lead to the same total count, so our calculation is consistent and correct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option 360 would correspond to 45 metres of cloth at 8 pieces per metre, which is more cloth than given. Option 400 would require 50 metres, and option 450 would require 56.25 metres. Option 280 would correspond to 35 metres of cloth. None of these match the given 37.5 metres, so they are not valid results for this scenario.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is misreading 37.5 as 37 or 35, which leads to incorrect multiplication. Another error is mishandling the decimal arithmetic, for example treating 37.5 × 8 as 37.5 × 4 or forgetting part of the calculation. Breaking the product into simpler parts or converting the decimal to a fraction helps avoid such slips and ensures accurate results.

Final Answer:
The tailor can make a total of 300 equal pieces from 37.5 metres of cloth.