Question

Scientific notation? http://prntscr.com/byyvy2

@Whitemonsterbunny17

Answer 1

Before anything, I have no clue how to do this little doodad.

Answer 2

any ideas ?

Answer 3

I don't have the slightest clue how to do this.

Answer 4

okay

Answer 5

Suppose that after `x` years,Mississippi river fill the atlantic,
then we get
\[\large \bf 6.3 \times 10^{11}\times x=3.1 \times 10^{17}\]

Answer 6

solve for x

Answer 7

Uh okay, I don't know how to solve for x, for one, is there anything with the exponents I could work with first?

Answer 8

divide both sides by 6.3 * 10^11

Answer 9

Oh to put x by itself?

Answer 10

yea

Answer 11

Okay, my answer is 0.492 times 10^6.

Answer 12

@mayankdevnani

Answer 13

By looking at the units of the numbers you used

you should be able to tell me what are the units of answer?

Answer 14

Sorry, I didn't quite understand that?

Answer 15

0.492 X 10^6 has what units?

Answer 16

Cubic meters, but the units are basically irrelevant for the answer.

Answer 17

Sure it's irrelevant for the answer but it's not irrelevant for your understanding :-)

Answer 18

"Write your final answer in scientific notation, and round to two decimal places."

Answer 19

Well, lol, yeah.

Answer 20

But anyway, did I complete it? Did I get the answer, or is there more steps?

Answer 21

Ok, let's answer what the question asks for.

Answer 22

Which was my plan. ^

Answer 23

Numbers written in scientific notation look like n X 10^m

Answer 24

Yes.

Answer 25

Where n is greater than or equal to 1 but less than 10.

Answer 26

Well right now, n is less than 1.

Answer 27

How can you change that?

Answer 28

Well, I'm VERY new to this, so I have no idea. Can we start from the beginning, if you don't mind?

Answer 29

Sure, you want to change 0.492 X 10^6

into 4.92 X 10 ^m so that we now have a number greater than or equal to 1 but less than 10 in front, right?

Answer 30

How did you get 4.92 X 10^m?

Answer 31

I needed to change 0.492 into 4.92 to satisfy the definition of scientific notation.

Answer 32

If you changed the place of that decimal, would it change anything else?

Answer 33

Yes. It must change the 10^6 into 10^5

Answer 34

How?

Answer 35

If 0.492 turned into 4.92, that's times 10. 10^6 would turn into 10^7.

Answer 36

But I want to keep the value of the number the same.

So I have to divide 10^6 by 10.

Answer 37

But you turned 0.492 into 4.92. If you do the same for 10^6, then that would turn into 10^7, hence the facts that you're doing times 10 to both ends.

Answer 38

There are two numbers n and m.

n X 10^m

Answer 39

Ok?

Answer 40

We already discussed that, yeah.

Answer 41

Now n must be 1<= n < 10 for scientific notation, right?

Answer 42

Which means greater than or equal to 1 but less than 10.

Answer 43

We also discussed that as well, yes.

Answer 44

What we did was take

n X 10^m

and multiplied and divided by 10 like so

10•n X (10^m) / 10

this does not change the number.

Answer 45

I'm sorry, you're not making any sense.

Answer 46

@ganeshie8, perhaps you could shed some light? :)

Answer 47

0.492 X 10 = 4.92

10^6 / 10 = 10^5

Answer 48

0.492 X 10^6 = 4.92 X 10^5

Use your calculator to verify please :-)

Answer 49

4.92 X 10^5 is in scientific notation

0.492 X 10^6 is not in scientific notation

Answer 50

A positive number in scientific notation is expressed as

the product of a number greater than or equal to 1 but less than 10 ------> n

and an integral power of 10. ------> 10^m

n X 10^m

Answer 51

I have gotten the answer. Thanks for your help, I guess.

Answer 52

Thanks for trying to learn :-)

Answer 53

n X 10^m
0.492 X 10^6

and multiplied and divided by 10 like so

10•n X (10^m) / 10
10• 0.492 X (10^6) / 10 = 4.92 X 10^5 years <--------scientific notation


this does not change the number.