Question

What is 5.5×10^4
multiplied by 2.2×10^−8
? Write the answer in scientific notation.

Answer 1

To multiply the numbers in scientific notation, you can use the following steps:

1. Multiply the coefficients (the numbers before the powers of ten).
2. Add the exponents of ten.

Given the numbers \(5.5 \times 10^4\) and \(2.2 \times 10^{-8}\):

1. Multiply the coefficients:
\[
5.5 \times 2.2 = 12.1
\]

2. Add the exponents:
\[
4 + (-8) = 4 - 8 = -4
\]

Putting it together, we have:
\[
12.1 \times 10^{-4}
\]

Now, to express this in proper scientific notation, we need the coefficient to be between 1 and 10:
\[
12.1 = 1.21 \times 10^1
\]

So we rewrite it as:
\[
1.21 \times 10^1 \times 10^{-4} = 1.21 \times 10^{1 - 4} = 1.21 \times 10^{-3}
\]

Thus, the final answer in scientific notation is:
\[
\boxed{1.21 \times 10^{-3}}
\]