To find the total length of the two insects, we need to add their lengths together. We have:
- First insect: \( 4 \times 10^{-2} \) inches
- Second insect: \( 1.3 \times 10^{-1} \) inches
Before we can add the two lengths, we should express them with the same exponent. The second insect’s length is in \( 10^{-1} \) notation, so we can convert the first insect’s length into this format:
\[ 4 \times 10^{-2} = 0.4 \times 10^{-1} \]
Now both insects can be expressed as:
- First insect: \( 0.4 \times 10^{-1} \)
- Second insect: \( 1.3 \times 10^{-1} \)
Now we can add these lengths together:
\[ 0.4 \times 10^{-1} + 1.3 \times 10^{-1} = (0.4 + 1.3) \times 10^{-1} = 1.7 \times 10^{-1} \]
Thus, the total length of the two insects, expressed in scientific notation to one decimal place, is:
\[ \boxed{1.7 \times 10^{-1}} \text{ inches} \]