To estimate the mass of the mustard seeds in the jar, we will first express the mass of a single mustard seed and the number of seeds in scientific notation.
Given:
- The mass of one mustard seed is approximately \( 0.002 \) grams, which can be written as \( 2 \times 10^{-3} \) grams.
- The number of seeds in the jar is given as \( 4.3602 \times 10^4 \), which can be simplified to approximately \( 4 \times 10^4 \).
Now, we can multiply the two values:
\[ (2 \times 10^{-3}) \times (4 \times 10^4) = (2 \times 4) \times (10^{-3} \times 10^{4}) = 8 \times 10^{1} \]
Thus, the reasonable estimate of the mass of the mustard seeds in the jar is: \[ 8 \times 10^{1} \text{ grams} \]
Checking the options provided, the correct choice is:
(2 x 10^-3) x (4 x 10^4) = 8 x 10^1.