An empty dump truck weighs about 2.8 × 10^5 pounds. How much does it weigh if 15,300 pounds of trash is added? The answer should be in scientific notation.

Answer 1

To find the total weight, we need to add the weight of the empty dump truck (2.8 × 10^5 pounds) to the weight of the trash added (15,300 pounds).

The weight of 15,300 pounds can be written in scientific notation as 1.53 × 10^4 pounds.

Adding the two weights together, we get:
2.8 × 10^5 + 1.53 × 10^4 = (2.8 + 0.153) × 10^5 = 2.953 × 10^5 pounds.

Therefore, the empty dump truck weighs 2.953 × 10^5 pounds when 15,300 pounds of trash is added.