Final answer:
To convert 7x10⁸/2x10⁵ to scientific notation, divide the coefficients to get 3.5 and subtract the exponents to get 10³. The result is thus 3.5 x 10³.
Step-by-step explanation:
To express the number 7x10⁸/2x10⁵ in scientific notation, we first perform the operation of division on the coefficients and the exponents separately. In scientific notation, when we divide two numbers, we divide their coefficients and subtract the exponents of the same base (in this case, base 10).
Dividing the coefficients: 7/2 is 3.5. Substracting the exponents: 10⁸/10⁵ is 10³ because 8 minus 5 equals 3. Hence, our operation simplifies to 3.5 x 10³.
Now, 3.5 is not in proper scientific notation form, because proper form requires the coefficient to have only one non-zero digit to the left of the decimal point. However, in this case, we are already in proper form, as there’s only one digit (3) to the left of the decimal point. Thus, the expression 7x10⁸/2x10⁵ expressed in scientific notation is 3.5 x 10³.