Carry out the following operations and express the answer with the appropriate number of significant figures: [(285.3x10^5)-(1.200x10^3)]x2.8954

Question

How do I solve this problem with the scientific notation? And when it comes to the rules of significant figures, do I use the rule pertaining to subtraction or the one pertaining to multiplication?

 

Thank you!

Answer 1

Hello Sarah,

 

You calculate this problem using exactly the same order of operations as you would without the scientific notation.  The first two terms are in brackets, so perform the subtraction first.  Then multiply the difference by the third term.  Lastly, express your answer in two sig. fig's.  The subtraction operation limits to one decimal place (2.9x10^7).  Your final answer should be 8.3X10^7.