a strand of hair has an average mass of 2.17 x 10^-5 ounces. A grain of rice has an average mass of 0.002 ounces. How much heavier is a grain of rice than a strand of hair? Express your answer in scientific notation.

Question

____ x ____ ounces

Answer 1

To find the difference in weight between a grain of rice and a strand of hair, we can subtract their respective masses:

0.002 ounces - 2.17 x 10^-5 ounces

To simplify the expression, we can convert the mass of the grain of rice to scientific notation:

0.002 ounces = 2 x 10^-3 ounces

Now we can subtract the masses:

2 x 10^-3 ounces - 2.17 x 10^-5 ounces

Performing the subtraction, we get:

1.99983 x 10^-3 ounces

Therefore, a grain of rice is approximately 1.99983 x 10^-3 ounces heavier than a strand of hair.