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How many grains of sand are there in 6300 kg of sand when expressed in standard form?

A) 6.3 x 10⁵
B) 6.3 x 10⁴
C) 6.3 x 10⁶
D) 6.3 x 10⁷

User Nolawi
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The calculated number of sand grains in 6300 kg of sand, when using the estimation of one grain of sand having a mass of approximately 10^-5 kg, is 6.3 x 10^8. None of the provided options matches this value.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine how many grains of sand are there in 6300 kg of sand when expressed in standard form, we need to estimate the average mass of a single grain of sand. Although this can vary, a common estimation is that one grain of sand has a mass of approximately 10^-5 kg. Let's calculate the total number of grains of sand using this estimation:

  • Total mass of sand = 6300 kg
  • Average mass of one grain of sand = 10^-5 kg

We divide the total mass by the mass of one grain:

Number of grains = Total mass / Mass per grain = 6300 kg / (10^-5 kg/grain) = 6300 / 10^-5 = 6300 x 10^5 grains

Expressing 6300 x 10^5 in standard form, we have:

6.3 x 10^(3+5) = 6.3 x 10^8

However, none of the given options A) 6.3 x 10^5, B) 6.3 x 10^4, C) 6.3 x 10^6, D) 6.3 x 10^7 matches the calculated value, thus suggesting a possible typo or misunderstanding in the question itself. The closest correct scientific notation for the number of grains of sand is 6.3 x 10^8.

User Oleg Belostotsky
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