The average newborn weighs 7.5 pounds. About 4.1×106

babies are born in the United States every year. What is the approximate total weight in pounds of all the babies born in the U.S. in a year? Write the answer in scientific notation, expressed to the exact decimal place.(1 point)
pounds

1 answer

To find the total weight in pounds of all the babies born in the U.S. in a year, you can multiply the average weight of a newborn by the number of babies born.

The average weight of a newborn is 7.5 pounds, and the number of babies born each year is approximately \(4.1 \times 10^6\).

Total weight = average weight × number of babies

\[ \text{Total weight} = 7.5 , \text{pounds} \times 4.1 \times 10^6 \]

Now, performing the multiplication:

\[ 7.5 \times 4.1 = 30.75 \]

So, the total weight can be expressed as:

\[ \text{Total weight} = 30.75 \times 10^6 \]

To express \(30.75\) in scientific notation, we move the decimal point one place to the left:

\[ 30.75 = 3.075 \times 10^1 \]

Now we can combine the exponents:

\[ 30.75 \times 10^6 = 3.075 \times 10^1 \times 10^6 = 3.075 \times 10^{7} \]

Thus, the approximate total weight in pounds of all the babies born in the U.S. in a year is:

\[ \boxed{3.075 \times 10^7} \]