The U.S. national debt was $2.9617×10^13 in 2021 and $3.98×10^11 in 1971. Find how much the debt increased in the 50- year period.

Answer 1

To find the increase in the national debt over the 50-year period, we subtract the debt in 1971 from the debt in 2021.

Debt increase = Debt in 2021 - Debt in 1971
Debt increase = ($2.9617×10^13) - ($3.98×10^11)

To subtract two numbers in scientific notation, we must ensure that the exponents are the same.
Therefore, we can rewrite the equation as follows:

Debt increase = ($2.9617×10^13) - ($0.398×10^13)

Now, we can subtract the numbers:

Debt increase = $2.9617×10^13 - $0.398×10^13
Debt increase = $2.9617×10^13 - $0.0398×10^15

Next, we can simplify the equation by subtracting the numbers:

Debt increase = $2.9219×10^13

Therefore, the debt increased by $2.9219×10^13 over the 50-year period.