Question

Last week the number of bacteria in a petri dish was 2.25×

×
102
10
2
. This week the number of bacteria in the petri dish is 2.75×
×
105
10
5
. How many times more bacteria are in the petri dish this week?
Round the decimal to the nearest tenth.

Answer 1

1221.2 factor increase

Explanation:

It is difficult interpreting the numbers. I'll assume:

2.25x10^2 and 2.75x10^5

----

225

275000

The difference(increase) is 274775, or 2.75 x 10^5 to 3 sig figs

There is a (2.75 x 10^5)/(2.25x10^2) or 1221.2 factor increase in bacteria between the two weeks.