Question

Writing  Subtract 5.5 times 10 Superscript 5 Baseline minus 7 times 10 Superscript 4. Use pencil and paper. Describe the process of rewriting the numbers in this problem with the same power of 10.
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Part 1
5.5 times 10 Superscript 5 Baseline minus 7 times 10 Superscript 4equals
  
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​(Use scientific notation. Use the multiplication symbol in the math palette as​ needed.)

Answer 1

To solve the problem \( 5.5 \times 10^5 - 7 \times 10^4 \), we need to rewrite both numbers so that they have the same power of ten. We can do this by converting \( 7 \times 10^4 \) into the same power as \( 5.5 \times 10^5 \).

### Step-by-step process:

1. **Identify the common power**: The higher power in this example is \( 10^5 \).

2. **Rewrite \( 7 \times 10^4 \)**: We want to express \( 7 \times 10^4 \) in terms of \( 10^5 \).

\[
7 \times 10^4 = 7 \times 10^4 \times \frac{10^1}{10^1} = 7 \times 10^5 \times 10^{-1} = 0.7 \times 10^5
\]

3. **Now both expressions are in terms of \( 10^5 \)**:
- So, we have:
\[
5.5 \times 10^5 - 0.7 \times 10^5
\]

4. **Combine the terms**: Since they are now like terms, we can subtract the coefficients:
\[
(5.5 - 0.7) \times 10^5 = 4.8 \times 10^5
\]

### Conclusion:

The final answer in scientific notation is:
\[
4.8 \times 10^5
\]

So, the full solution to \( 5.5 \times 10^5 - 7 \times 10^4 \) is:
\[
5.5 \times 10^5 - 7 \times 10^4 = 4.8 \times 10^5
\]