question is below

Question

The area of the Southern Ocean is about 7.7.85x10⁶ square miles. The difference between the areas of the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean is about 1.865x10⁷ square miles. Explain how to find the area of the Indian Ocean. Then find the area. 

Answer 1

The term "difference" means subtraction. Since subtraction is involved, it follows that the area of the Indian Ocean is greater than the area of the Southern Ocean.

 

So, our problem states that the area of the Indian Ocean minus the area of the Southern Ocean is 1.865x10⁷ square miles.

 

Let I = area of the Indian Ocean; let S = area of the Southern Ocean

 

then, I - S = 1.865x10⁷ sm

 

I - 7.785x10⁶ sm = 1.865 x 10⁷ sm

 

I = 1.865 x 10⁷sm + 7.785 x 10⁶ sm; to make this addition, we must have the same powers of 10, so

 

I = 1.865 x 10⁷sm + 0.7785 x 10⁷ sm, which gives us 2.6435 x 10⁷ square miles