Question

The Eurasian plate has a mass of 2.85 x 10^22 kg. Express this mass in picograms (pg) using scientific notation.

a) 2.85 x 10^13 pg
b) 2.85 x 10^16 pg
c) 2.85 x 10^19 pg
d) 2.85 x 10^22 pg

Answer 1

The mass of the Eurasian plate is 2.85 x 10^22 kg, which equates to 2.85 x 10^37 picograms (pg) when converted into picograms using scientific notation. None of the provided options correctly state this mass in picograms.

Step-by-step explanation:

The mass of the Eurasian plate is given as 2.85 x 1022 kg. To express this mass in picograms (pg), we need to convert kilograms to grams and then to picograms. First, we recognize that 1 kilogram equals 103 grams. After converting to grams, we then utilize the fact that 1 gram equates to 1012 picograms.

Performing the conversion:
2.85 x 1022 kg = 2.85 x 1022 x 103 g = 2.85 x 1025 g
Now, converting to picograms:
2.85 x 1025 g = 2.85 x 1025 x 1012 pg = 2.85 x 1037 pg

Thus, the mass of the Eurasian plate in picograms, using scientific notation, is 2.85 x 1037 pg, which is not listed in the provided options. Therefore, none of the provided options (a-d) is correct.