A zookeeper weighs her animals once a month and compares their weights to the previous month.The lemur lost 3kg between January and February.The rhino gained 12kg between January and February.The otter lost 2kg between January and February.The penguin gained 4kg between January and February.Which animal had the least amount of change in weight?Choose 1 answer:(A) Lemur(B) Rhino(C) Otter(D) Penguin
Q. A zookeeper weighs her animals once a month and compares their weights to the previous month.The lemur lost 3kg between January and February.The rhino gained 12kg between January and February.The otter lost 2kg between January and February.The penguin gained 4kg between January and February.Which animal had the least amount of change in weight?Choose 1 answer:(A) Lemur(B) Rhino(C) Otter(D) Penguin
Identify change in weight: Identify the change in weight for each animal.For the lemur, the change in weight is a loss of 3kg.For the rhino, the change in weight is a gain of 12kg.For the otter, the change in weight is a loss of 2kg.For the penguin, the change in weight is a gain of 4kg.
Determine absolute value: Determine the absolute value of the change in weight for each animal, as we are interested in the magnitude of change, not the direction (gain or loss).For the lemur, the absolute change is ∣−3kg∣=3kg.For the rhino, the absolute change is ∣12kg∣=12kg.For the otter, the absolute change is ∣−2kg∣=2kg.For the penguin, the absolute change is ∣4kg∣=4kg.
Compare absolute changes: Compare the absolute changes in weight to determine which is the smallest.The lemur's change is 3kg.The rhino's change is 12kg.The otter's change is 2kg.The penguin's change is 4kg.The smallest change is 2kg, which is the change for the otter.