Final answer:
To determine the sum of (2.37 x 10⁷) + (4.5 x 10⁵), follow these steps: determine the smallest power of 10, decrease the larger power until it matches the one found in step 1, add the number factors and keep the power of 10, and convert to scientific notation if needed.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the sum of (2.37 x 10⁷) + (4.5 x 10⁵), we follow these steps:
a) The smallest power of 10 is ⁵. This is because 10⁵ is a larger power of 10 than ⁷ or ⁵.
b) To match the powers of 10, we need to decrease the larger power of 10, which is ⁷, until it matches ⁵. We can do this by moving the decimal point to the left twice on (2.37 x 10⁷), giving us (2.37 x 10⁵⁻²).
c) Next, we can add the number factors, which are 2.37 and 4.5, while keeping the power of 10 as ⁵. Adding 2.37 and 4.5 gives us 6.87.
d) The result is 6.87 x 10⁵. This is already in scientific notation.