show the calculator answer, significant digits answer and identify the number of significant digits. show all work.

0.2 / 0.0005

make it more clear.

1 answer

To solve the division problem \(0.2 \div 0.0005\) and to determine the significant digits, let’s go through the steps clearly.

Step 1: Perform the Calculation

Let's do the division:

\[ 0.2 \div 0.0005 \]

To make the calculation easier, we can express both numbers in scientific notation:

  • \(0.2 = 2.0 \times 10^{-1}\)
  • \(0.0005 = 5.0 \times 10^{-4}\)

Now, we substitute these values into the division:

\[ \frac{2.0 \times 10^{-1}}{5.0 \times 10^{-4}} \]

Step 2: Simplify

Now we divide the coefficients and subtract the exponents of ten:

\[ \frac{2.0}{5.0} = 0.4 \] And for the exponents: \[ 10^{-1} \div 10^{-4} = 10^{-1 - (-4)} = 10^{-1 + 4} = 10^{3} \]

So putting it all together:

\[ 0.4 \times 10^{3} = 4.0 \times 10^{2} \]

Thus, the answer to the calculation is:

\[ 4.0 \times 10^{2} = 400 \]

Step 3: Identify Significant Digits

  1. Identify the significant digits in the original numbers:

    • For \(0.2\): This number has 1 significant digit (the "2").
    • For \(0.0005\): This number has 1 significant digit (the "5").
  2. Determine the significant digits in the result:

    • Since the fewest number of significant digits among the numbers we divided is 1, the result must also be expressed with 1 significant digit. Thus, we round \(400\) down to 400, not counting the zeroes after the \(4\) since they don't contribute significant value.

Final Answer

  • Calculator Answer: \(400\)
  • Significant Digits Answer: \(400\)
  • Number of Significant Digits: \(1\)

In summary: The final answer is 400 with 1 significant digit.