Final answer:
The product of 8.5 x 10³ and 2.6 x 10³ is calculated by multiplying the decimal parts and adding the exponents of 10. After adjusting the result to fit scientific notation, the final answer is 2.21 x 10⁷.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the product of 8.5 x 10³ and 2.6 x 10³ and express it in scientific notation, you multiply the decimal numbers and then add the exponents of 10. Scientific notation is a way of writing numbers that are too large or too small to be conveniently written in decimal form.
Firstly, multiply the decimal numbers:
8.5 * 2.6 = 22.1
Then add the exponents of 10, since the base (10) is the same:
10³ * 10³ = 10³+3 = 10⁶
However, scientific notation requires the decimal part to be between 1 and 10, so we adjust 22.1 by moving the decimal point one place to the left, which makes it 2.21, and increase the exponent by 1:
22.1 x 10⁶ = 2.21 x 10⁷
Therefore, the product of 8.5 x 10³ and 2.6 x 10³ expressed in scientific notation is 2.21 x 10⁷.
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