Correct Option (B)
The total length of the road is 1.01 km, which converts to 1010 m (1.01 x 1000 m).
Given that 101 plants are planted at equal distances along this road. The number of gaps between 101 plants is calculated as (Number of plants - 1). Therefore, there are 101 - 1 = 100 gaps.
The distance of each gap is determined by dividing the total road length by the number of gaps:
- Distance per gap = 1010 m / 100 = 10.1 m
To ascertain the total distance between 5 consecutive plants, it is essential to recognize that 5 consecutive plants define 4 intervals or gaps (e.g., the distance from the first plant to the fifth plant spans four equal segments).
Thus, the total distance between 5 consecutive plants is:
- Total distance = 4 x Distance per gap = 4 x 10.1 m = 40.4 m
Incorrect Options:
Options A, C, and D are incorrect due to common misinterpretations or calculation errors:
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Option A (40m): This result would occur if the distance per gap was incorrectly rounded or assumed to be 10 m, leading to 4 x 10 m = 40 m.
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Option C (50m): This value might be obtained by incorrectly assuming 5 gaps between 5 consecutive plants and using an approximate gap distance of 10 m (5 x 10 m = 50 m).
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Option D (50.5m): This error arises from correctly calculating the distance per gap as 10.1 m but then incorrectly multiplying it by 5 (assuming 5 gaps for 5 consecutive plants) instead of the correct number of gaps, which is 4 (5 x 10.1 m = 50.5 m).