Question

A dollar bill is about 3×10 to the -4 inches thick, and a penny is about 6×10 to the -3 inches thick. Which statement correctly compares these measurements?

a) The dollar bill is thicker than the penny.
b) The penny is thicker than the dollar bill.
c) The dollar bill and the penny have the same thickness.
d) The comparison cannot be accurately determined.

Answer 1

The penny is thicker than the dollar bill.

Step-by-step explanation:

The thickness of a dollar bill is about 3x10-4 inches, while the thickness of a penny is about 6x10-3 inches. To compare these measurements, we can see that the penny is thicker than the dollar bill. This is because the exponent of -3 is greater than the exponent of -4. In scientific notation, a number is considered to be larger if the exponent is smaller. Therefore, the correct statement is option b) The penny is thicker than the dollar bill.