A certain insect is approximately 4 × 10^(-2) inches long. A second insect is about 1.3 × 10^(-1) inches long. What is the total length of the two insects in inches? Use scientific notation to express your answer to 1 decimal place. (1 point)

Answer 1

To find the total length of the two insects, we add the length of the first insect to the length of the second insect.

The length of the first insect is 4 × 10^(-2) inches.

The length of the second insect is 1.3 × 10^(-1) inches.

Adding these together, we get:

4 × 10^(-2) + 1.3 × 10^(-1) = 0.04 + 0.13 = 0.17

Therefore, the total length of the two insects is 0.17 inches.

Expressing our answer in scientific notation to 1 decimal place gives us:

1.7 × 10^(-1) inches. Answer: \boxed{1.7 × 10^(-1)}.