The weight of an ant averages about 3x 10 ^-6 ants in the world. What is the approximate weight in kilograms of all the ants in the world? Write the answer in scientific notation.

1 answer

To calculate the approximate weight of all the ants in the world, we need two pieces of information:

  1. The average weight of one ant, which is given as \(3 \times 10^{-6}\) kilograms.
  2. The estimated number of ants in the world, which is commonly approximated to be about \(10^{18}\).

Now, we can calculate the total weight of all the ants by multiplying the average weight of one ant by the total number of ants:

\[ \text{Total Weight} = (\text{Average Weight of one ant}) \times (\text{Number of ants}) \]

Substituting in the values we have:

\[ \text{Total Weight} = (3 \times 10^{-6} \text{ kg}) \times (10^{18}) \]

To multiply these:

\[ 3 \times 10^{-6} \times 10^{18} = 3 \times 10^{(18 - 6)} = 3 \times 10^{12} \]

Thus, the approximate weight of all the ants in the world is:

\[ \boxed{3 \times 10^{12}} \text{ kilograms} \]