Question

3 Jackie incorrectly simplified the following expression.

(4 x 10-6) X 3,000
Select each step that shows an error based solely on the previous step.
A Step 1: (4 x 10-6)(3 × 10³)
B Step 2: (4 x 3)(10-6 x 10³)
C
Step 3: 12 × 10-³
D
Step 4: 1.2 × 10-4

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation: The correct simplification of the expression (4 x 10-6) X 3,000 can be found by multiplying the numerical coefficients and adding the exponents of 10.

4 x 10-6 is equal to 0.000004 in decimal notation.

Multiplying this by 3,000 gives:

(4 x 10-6) X 3,000 = 0.000004 x 3,000 = 12

Therefore, the simplified expression is 12.

Among the given steps, Step 2 is incorrect as it has incorrectly swapped the order of multiplication of the numerical coefficients and the exponents of 10.

Step 2: (4 x 3)(10-6 x 10³)

The correct order of multiplication should be:

Step 2 (Corrected): (4 x 3) x (10-6 x 10³)

This simplifies to:

Step 3: 12 x 10-3

And the final simplified expression is:

Step 4: 1.2 x 10-2

Therefore, the error in Jackie's simplification is in Step 2.