Final answer:
To find the total gallons of water used in the water park after the new ride is installed, we can add the amount of water used by the ride to the current total. The total can be expressed as 7.1 x 10^7 + 9,800 gallons using scientific notation.
Step-by-step explanation:
To express the total gallons of water used in the water park after the new ride is installed, we need to add the amount of water used by the ride to the current total. The total gallons of water used in the water park is given as 7.1 x 107 gallons. The additional water used by the new ride is 9,800 gallons. To find the total gallons of water used after the new ride is installed, we can add these two amounts:
Total gallons of water used = 7.1 x 107 gallons + 9,800 gallons
Next, we can simplify this expression by performing the addition:
Total gallons of water used = (7.1 x 107) + (9,800) = 7.1 x 107 + 9,800
Therefore, the total gallons of water used in the water park after the new ride is installed can be expressed as 7.1 x 107 + 9,800 gallons using scientific notation.