Question

multiply.
53.5
× 7
------

Explanation:

Step1: Multiply 53.5 by 7

First, we can think of 53.5 as \(53 + 0.5\). Then, using the distributive property of multiplication over addition, we have \((53 + 0.5)\times7 = 53\times7 + 0.5\times7\).
Calculating \(53\times7 = 371\) and \(0.5\times7 = 3.5\).

Step2: Add the results

Now, we add the two products together: \(371 + 3.5 = 374.5\).
Alternatively, we can directly multiply the decimal number by the integer. When multiplying a decimal by an integer, we multiply the numbers as if they were whole numbers and then place the decimal point in the product. For \(53.5\times7\), we multiply 535 (since we move the decimal point in 53.5 one place to the right to make it a whole number) by 7, which gives \(535\times7 = 3745\). Then we move the decimal point back one place to the left (because we had moved it one place to the right earlier), so we get \(374.5\).

Answer:

\(374.5\)