High School

Round the answer to the correct number of significant figures.

[tex] 16.5 + 22.289 = 38.789 [/tex]

A. 38.8
B. 38.79
C. 38
D. 39

Answer :

To find the correctly rounded answer to the sum of 16.5 and 22.289:

1. Add the Numbers:
[tex]\[
16.5 + 22.289 = 38.789
\][/tex]

2. Identify the Significant Figures:
- In the problem, we want to round the answer based on the least number of decimal places. Here, 16.5 has 1 decimal place.

3. Round the Result:
- Since 16.5 has 1 decimal place, we round 38.789 to 1 decimal place.

To round 38.789 to 1 decimal place, look at the digit in the second decimal place (hundredths place):
- The number at the second decimal place is 8.
- Since 8 is 5 or more, round up the digit in the first decimal place (tenths place).

Therefore, 38.789 rounded to 1 decimal place is 38.8.

So, the correctly rounded answer is:
[tex]\[
\boxed{38.8}
\][/tex]