Question

A scoop of healthy and productive soil contains 1.0 × 108 bacteria and 3.0 × 106 protozoa. How many total microscopic organisms exist in this scoop of soil?

1.03 × 106


4.0 × 108


1.03 × 108


4.0 × 1014

Answer 1

There are a total of 1.03 * 10⁸ microscopic organisms in the soil

Step-by-step explanation:

The scoop of healthy soil contains each of the following number of microscopic organisms:

i) 1.0 * 10⁸ bacteria

ii) 3.0 * 10⁶ protozoa

The total number of microscopic microorganisms present will be the sum total of bacteria and protozoa = 1.0 * 10⁸ + 3.0 * 10⁶

Converting 3.0 * 10⁶ to a number with a power of 8 = 0.03 * 10⁸

The total number of microscopic microorganisms present = 1.0 * 10⁸ + 0.03 * 10⁸ = 1.03 * 10⁸ organisms

Therefore, there are a total of 1.03 * 10⁸ microscopic organisms in the soil