The average newborn weighs 7.5 pounds about 4.1×10 to the sixth power babies are born in the United States every year. What is the approximate total weight in pounds of all the babies born in the US in a year? Write the answer in scientific notation

1 answer

To find the total weight of all the babies born in the US in a year, we'll multiply the average weight of a newborn by the number of babies born.

  1. The average weight of a newborn is \( 7.5 \) pounds.
  2. The number of babies born each year is \( 4.1 \times 10^6 \).

Now we calculate the total weight:

\[ \text{Total weight} = \text{Average weight} \times \text{Number of babies} \]

\[ \text{Total weight} = 7.5 \times (4.1 \times 10^6) \]

To multiply these numbers, we can first multiply the coefficients:

\[ 7.5 \times 4.1 = 30.75 \]

Now, we include the power of ten:

\[ \text{Total weight} = 30.75 \times 10^6 \]

Next, we convert \( 30.75 \) into scientific notation:

\[ 30.75 = 3.075 \times 10^1 \]

Thus:

\[ 30.75 \times 10^6 = 3.075 \times 10^1 \times 10^6 = 3.075 \times 10^{7} \]

So the approximate total weight in pounds of all the babies born in the US in a year is:

\[ \boxed{3.075 \times 10^7} \]