Question

The U.S. national debt was $2.9617×10^13 in 2021 and 3.98 x 10^11 in 71 find the decrease

Answer 1

It seems like there might be a mistake in your numbers when you mention "3.98 x 10^11." Assuming you meant "3.98 x 10^13" as the debt in a later year, I can calculate the decrease based on that.

If the national debt was:

- In 2021: \(2.9617 \times 10^{13}\)
- In the later year (let's assume it's also in the trillions): \(3.98 \times 10^{13}\)

To find the decrease, we would subtract the later value from the earlier value:

\[
\text{Decrease} = 2.9617 \times 10^{13} - 3.98 \times 10^{13}
\]

Calculating that:

\[
\text{Decrease} = (2.9617 - 3.98) \times 10^{13}
\]

\[
\text{Decrease} = -1.0183 \times 10^{13}
\]

This indicates an increase, not a decrease. Therefore, if this assumption was correct, the national debt actually increased by \(1.0183 \times 10^{13}\) dollars.

If the second number was indeed \(3.98 \times 10^{11}\) (which is significantly lower), please confirm so I can recalculate the decrease correctly!