Final answer:
Subtracting the coefficients of 7*10^6 and 5.3*10^6 gives us 1.7. The common exponent remains unchanged, so the answer is 1.7 * 10^6 in scientific notation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question asks to subtract two numbers expressed in scientific notation, specifically 7*10^6 - 5.3*10^6. To solve this problem, we start by aligning the exponents, which are already the same in this case. Then we subtract the coefficients:
7 - 5.3 = 1.7
Now, we simply combine the result with the common exponent, which gives us 1.7 * 10^6.
Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is:
A) 1.7 * 10^6