Question

Question was provided via image upload.

Explanation:

Analyze the visible steps

The problem asks us to find Jo's mistake in a multi-step calculation.
Let's reconstruct the visible steps from the image:

• Step 2: \(= 8 \times 4\)
• Step 3: \(= 32\)

We need to determine what the original expression in Step 1 likely was, based on standard order of operations problems.
Common expressions that simplify to \(8 \times 4\) in Step 2:
For example, if the original expression was \(32 \div 4 \times 4\):

• If evaluated left-to-right: \(32 \div 4 = 8\), then \(8 \times 4 = 32\). This is correct.
• If the student made a mistake in Step 1, they might have evaluated multiplication before division: \(32 \div (4 \times 4) = 32 \div 16 = 2\).

But here, Step 2 is \(8 \times 4\), which is correct if the original expression was indeed \(32 \div 4 \times 4\) evaluated left-to-right.

Let's consider another common problem:
Evaluate \(32 \div 4(2)\) or similar.
If the expression was \(8 \times (something)\):
Let's look at the top of the image, which is partially cut off. We can see the bottom of some parentheses: ( ... ) and then ... p 1 (Step 1).
Specifically, we see ( ... ) at the very top, and to its right, the end of the word "Step 1".
Then:

• Step 2: \(= 8 \times 4\)
• Step 3: \(= 32\)

If Step 2 is \(8 \times 4\), and Step 3 is \(32\), then Step 2 to Step 3 is mathematically correct because \(8 \times 4 = 32\).
Therefore, the calculation from Step 2 to Step 3 contains no arithmetic error.
Using Error Analysis, if there is a mistake in the work, it must have occurred in Step 1 (the transition from the original expression to Step 2).
Thus, Jo's mistake must be in Step 1.

Identify the correct option

Since Step 2 to Step 3 is correct (\(8 \times 4 = 32\)), the error in the order of operations or arithmetic must have occurred in Step 1.
Therefore, the correct choice is Step 1.
Using Order of Operations, we confirm that the mistake is in Step 1.

Answer:

• (A) Step 1 (Correct answer)
• (B) Step 2