Question

Ramsey measured the mass of two fleas. The first flea had a mass of 2.4 x 10 ^-4
grams, and the second flea had a mass of 3 x 10 ^-4
grams. The sum of the masses of the two fleas can be expressed as b x 10 ^n
grams.

Select a number for each blank to make the sentence true.

The value of the coefficient b
in the sum expressed above is

, and the value of the exponent
in the sum expressed above is

.

Answer 1

To find the sum of the masses of the two fleas, we need to add the two values:

1. First flea: \( 2.4 \times 10^{-4} \) grams
2. Second flea: \( 3.0 \times 10^{-4} \) grams

When adding numbers in scientific notation, we need to ensure that the exponents are the same. In this case, they are both \( 10^{-4} \), so we can simply add the coefficients.

Calculating the sum of the coefficients:

\[
2.4 + 3.0 = 5.4
\]

Now, we can express the sum in scientific notation:

\[
5.4 \times 10^{-4} \text{ grams}
\]

In this format, we can identify the coefficient \( b \) and the exponent \( n \):

- The value of the coefficient \( b \) is **5.4**.
- The value of the exponent \( n \) is **-4**.

So the final answers are:
- The value of the coefficient \( b \) is **5.4**.
- The value of the exponent \( n \) is **-4**.