Question

Difficulty: EasyExponents, Roots, and Scientific Notation

Which of the following is equal to the sum of 4×1044 \times 10^4 and 3×1033 \times 10^3, written in scientific notation?

  1. A
    7×10127 \times 10^{12}
  2. B
    7×1077 \times 10^7
  3. 4.3×1044.3 \times 10^4Answer
  4. D
    4.3×1074.3 \times 10^7
  5. E
    1.2×1081.2 \times 10^8

Answer

4.3×1044.3 \times 10^4
The sum of 4×1044 \times 10^4 (which is 40,00040,000) and 3×1033 \times 10^3 (which is 3,0003,000) is 43,00043,000. Written in scientific notation, 43,00043,000 is expressed as 4.3×1044.3 \times 10^4 because the decimal point is moved 4 places to the left, which corresponds to multiplying 4.34.3 by 10410^4.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Convert one of the terms so that both terms have the same power of 10.
3×1033 \times 10^3 is rewritten as 0.3×1040.3 \times 10^4.
To add numbers in scientific notation directly, their exponents must be equal.
2
Add the coefficients while keeping the common power of 10.
(4+0.3)×104=4.3×104(4 + 0.3) \times 10^4 = 4.3 \times 10^4.
Adding the coefficients of terms with the same exponent yields the simplified sum in standard scientific notation.

Key Concept

Adding numbers in scientific notation requires aligning the exponents before summing the coefficients.

Alternative Method

Alternatively, you can convert both numbers to standard decimal notation first: 4×104=40,0004 \times 10^4 = 40,000 and 3×103=3,0003 \times 10^3 = 3,000. Adding them gives 43,00043,000, which is written in standard scientific notation as 4.3×1044.3 \times 10^4.
Estimated Time:45s
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