Correct Option (B)
To determine the total number of times the digit '5' appears when numbering a 260-page book, the occurrences are systematically counted across different numerical ranges:
- From 1 to 100: The digit '5' appears 20 times. This includes numbers where '5' is in the units place (e.g., 5, 15, ..., 95) and numbers where '5' is in the tens place (e.g., 50, 51, ..., 59).
- From 101 to 200: The digit '5' appears 20 times. This count follows the same pattern as the 1-100 range, with the hundreds digit being '1' (e.g., 105, 150, ..., 195).
- From 201 to 260: The digit '5' appears 16 times. This includes numbers such as 205, 215, 225, 235, 245, 255 (units place) and 250, 251, 252, 253, 254, 255, 256, 257, 258, 259 (tens place).
The cumulative count is obtained by summing the occurrences from each range: 20 + 20 + 16 = 56.
Incorrect Options:
Options 1 (55), 3 (57), and 4 (60) are incorrect as they do not represent the accurate enumeration of the digit '5' within the specified range of 1 to 260.