1. **State the problem**: Isaac approximated $20 \times 300 = 6000$ by rounding each number to 1 significant figure. We need to find the smallest possible exact product of the original numbers before rounding. 2. **Understand rounding to 1 significant figure**: - The number 20 rounded to 1 sig fig could come from any number between 15 and 24.999... because 15 rounds to 20, and anything less than 15 would round to 10. - The number 300 rounded to 1 sig fig could come from any number between 250 and 349.999... because 250 rounds to 300, and anything less than 250 would round to 200. 3. **Express intervals for possible original values**: - Let $x$ be the original first number: $15 \leq x < 25$ - Let $y$ be the original second number: $250 \leq y < 350$ 4. **Find the smallest possible product**: - To minimize the product $x \times y$, choose the smallest $x$ and smallest $y$ in these intervals: $$\min(xy) = 15 \times 250 = 3750$$ 5. **Conclusion**: The smallest possible product consistent with the rounding to 1 significant figure is **3750**.