Final answer:
Big town's population is 100 times larger than Small town's, with the correct answer being (c) 100 times larger.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks us to compare the populations of Small town USA and Big town, which are represented in scientific notation. Small town USA has a population of 5 x 103, while Big town has a population of 5 x 105. To determine how many times larger Big town's population is compared to Small town's, we can divide the population of Big town by the population of Small town.
Dividing 5 x 105 by 5 x 103, we get 105 / 103 which simplifies to 102. Since 102 equals 100, we conclude that Big town's population is 100 times larger than Small town's population.
The correct answer is (c) 100 times larger.