Question

The mass of a substance is 8×10⁹ micrograms. If one microgram is equal to 0.000001 grams, what is the substances mass in grams written in scientific notation?

Answer 1

The mass of the substance is
`\mathit{8\cdot 10^(3)}` grams.

Explanation:

Scientific Notation

The mass of a substance is
`8\cdot 10^9` micrograms and one microgram is 0.000001 grams.

This last unit needs to be expressed in scientific notation:

`0.000001 grams = 1\cdot 10^(-6)`

The mass of the substance in grams is calculated by:

`8\cdot 10^9 * 1\cdot 10^(-6)`

Multiply the magnitudes and add the exponents:

`8\cdot 10^9 * 1\cdot 10^(-6)=8\cdot 10^(-6+9)=8\cdot 10^(3)`

The mass of the substance is
`\mathbf{8\cdot 10^(3)}` grams.