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 C: 4, point, 1, 6, times, 10, to the power minus 24.16×10−2
centimeters
Cell D: 9, point, 5, times, 10, to the power minus 49.5×10−4
centimeters
How much larger is the diameter of cell C than the diameter of cell D? Express your answer using scientific notation.

Answer 1

Interpreting the measurements as
C = 4.16 × 10^−2 cm and D = 9.5 × 10^−4 cm,

C/D = (4.16 × 10^−2) / (9.5 × 10^−4)
= (4.16/9.5) × 10^(−2 − (−4))
= 0.4378947 × 10^2
= 4.378947 × 10^1.

So cell C is about 4.38 × 10^1 times larger in diameter than cell D (≈ 43.8×).