Question

The size of a cell is typically found by capturing an image under a microscope then using software to measure its diameter. Two cells are measured using this method:
Cell D: 3, point, 1, 4, times, 10, to the power minus 33.14×10
−3
centimeters
Cell E: 8, point, 7, times, 10, to the power minus 48.7×10
−4
centimeters
How much larger is the diameter of cell D than the diameter of cell E? Express your answer using scientific notation.

Answer 1

Interpret the measurements as D = 3.14 × 10^−3 cm and E = 8.7 × 10^−4 cm.

D/E = (3.14 × 10^−3) / (8.7 × 10^−4)
= (3.14/8.7) × 10^(−3 −(−4))
= (3.14/8.7) × 10^1
≈ 0.3609 × 10
≈ 3.61 × 10^0.

So cell D is about 3.61 × 10^0 times larger than cell E.