Question

Express 7 * 10⁵ - 5.8 * 10⁵ in scientific notation.

a) 1.2 * 10⁵
b) 1.2 * 10⁶
c) 1.2 * 10⁴
d) 1.2 * 10³

Answer 1

To express 7 * 10⁵ - 5.8 * 10⁵ in scientific notation, the coefficients are subtracted (7 - 5.8 = 1.2), and the common power of 10 is retained. The answer is 1.2 * 10⁵. Option number a is correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

To express 7 * 10⁵ - 5.8 * 10⁵ in scientific notation, we need to subtract the two numbers since they have the same exponent for the power of 10. This means we can directly subtract the coefficients (7 - 5.8) which gives us 1.2. Therefore, the expression simplifies to 1.2 * 10⁵.

Here's the step-by-step calculation:

1. Identify that both terms have the same power of 10 (⁵).
2. Subtract the coefficients: 7 - 5.8 = 1.2.
3. Combine the result with the common power of 10: 1.2 * 10⁵.

So the correct answer is a) 1.2 * 10⁵.