Question

In the past five years, how many reams of paper did company A sell in scientific notation?

A. 75000
B. 7.5 × 10^4
C. 7500
D. 7.5 × 10^3

Answer 1

In the past five years, B.
`\(7.5 * 10^4\)` reams of paper did company A sell in scientific notation,

Step-by-step explanation:

The scientific notation for the number of reams of paper company A sold in the past five years is
`\(7.5 * 10^4\).` This notation represents a more compact and convenient way to express a large number, where the base (7.5) is multiplied by 10 raised to the power of 4. In this context, the exponent of 4 indicates that we move the decimal point four places to the right, resulting in a total of 75,000 reams of paper sold by company A.

Scientific notation is particularly useful when dealing with large quantities, simplifying calculations and making it easier to comprehend the magnitude of the numbers involved. In this case, option B,
`\(7.5 * 10^4\),` accurately conveys the quantity of reams of paper sold by company A in a concise and standardized format.

In summary, the scientific notation
`\(7.5 * 10^4\`) is a mathematically equivalent representation of 75,000, providing a clear and efficient way to express the substantial quantity of paper sold by company A over the past five years.