The population of a city is given as 3.45 x 10 to the sixth power. A nearby city has a population of 1.3 x 10 to the fifth power. What is the sum of the populations of the two cities in scientific notation?

Answer 1

To find the sum of the populations of the two cities, we first need to express both populations in a compatible form before we can add them.

1. The population of the first city is \(3.45 \times 10^6\).
2. The population of the second city is \(1.3 \times 10^5\).

Before adding these numbers, we should convert \(1.3 \times 10^5\) to a form with the same power of 10 as \(3.45 \times 10^6\):

\[ 1.3 \times 10^5 = 0.13 \times 10^6 \]

Now, we can add the two populations:

\[ 3.45 \times 10^6 + 0.13 \times 10^6 = (3.45 + 0.13) \times 10^6 = 3.58 \times 10^6 \]

Thus, the sum of the populations of the two cities in scientific notation is:

\[ \boxed{3.58 \times 10^6} \]