The size of a cell is typically found by capturing an image under a microscope then using software to measure its diameter. Two cells are measured using this method:Cell K: 3.15×10−3 centimetersCell M: 8.5×10−4 centimetersHow many times larger is the diameter of cell K than the diameter of cell M ? Write your answer in standard notation, rounding to the nearest tenth.Answer:
Q. The size of a cell is typically found by capturing an image under a microscope then using software to measure its diameter. Two cells are measured using this method:Cell K: 3.15×10−3 centimetersCell M: 8.5×10−4 centimetersHow many times larger is the diameter of cell K than the diameter of cell M ? Write your answer in standard notation, rounding to the nearest tenth.Answer:
Write Cell Diameters: Write down the diameters of both cells in scientific notation.Cell K diameter = 3.15×10−3 centimetersCell M diameter = 8.5×10−4 centimeters
Calculate Ratio: To find out how many times larger the diameter of cell K is than the diameter of cell M, we need to divide the diameter of cell K by the diameter of cell M.(3.15×10−3)÷(8.5×10−4)
Convert Exponents: Before dividing, we should convert the exponents to have the same base for easier calculation. Since 10−3 is the same as 10−4×101, we can rewrite the diameter of cell K as:(3.15×(10−4×101)) centimetersNow, we can divide the coefficients (3.15÷8.5) and subtract the exponents (1−(−1)).
Perform Division: Perform the division of the coefficients and the subtraction of the exponents.(3.15÷8.5)×101−(−1)= (0.3705882353)×102
Round to Nearest Tenth: Round the result to the nearest tenth and write it in standard notation. 0.3705882353 rounded to the nearest tenth is 0.4. So, the diameter of cell K is 0.4×102 times larger than the diameter of cell M.
Convert to Standard Notation: Convert the scientific notation to standard notation.0.4×102=40
More problems from Volume of cubes and rectangular prisms: word problems