Question

Determine the difference: 3.2 × 1010 – 1.1 × 1010. Write your answer in scientific notation.

Answer 1

Answer:
`2.1*10^(10)`

Explanation:

1. Both number are written in scientific notation, because both have the following form:

`a*10^(b)`

Where a is a number between 1 and 10 (but not including 10) and the exponent b is an integer.

2. Both have the same exponent, therefore, you can subtract 3.2 and 1.1 and write
`10^(10)` again, as you can see below:

`3.2*10^(10)-1.1*10^(10) =2.1*10^(10)`