Real-World Scientific Notation Challenges for 8th Graders

A scientist measures the mass of a small particle as 3.5 x 10^-27 kg. If she has 4.2 x 10^3 particles, what is the total mass of all the particles in kg?

• 1.47 x 10^-23 kg

• 1.05 x 10^-23 kg

• 2.8 x 10^-23 kg

• 5.6 x 10^-24 kg

A car travels 1.2 x 10^5 meters in a race. If the race is 3.0 x 10^2 meters long, how many times does the car complete the race?

• 250

• 500

• 400

• 300

The distance from Earth to a star is approximately 4.5 x 10^16 meters. If a spaceship travels at a speed of 1.5 x 10^7 meters per hour, how long will it take to reach the star in hours?

• 2 x 10^8 hours

• 5 x 10^10 hours

• 1 x 10^9 hours

• 3 x 10^9 hours

A factory produces 2.5 x 10^4 toys each day. How many toys does it produce in 1.2 x 10^2 days?

• 1.2 x 10^4

• 4.0 x 10^6

• 3.0 x 10^6

• 2.5 x 10^5

A cell phone battery can hold a charge of 2.0 x 10^-3 ampere-hours. If a charger can provide 5.0 x 10^-2 ampere-hours, how many full charges can the charger provide?

• 10

• 15

• 25

• 30

The volume of a small balloon is 1.2 x 10^3 cm^3. If you have 5 balloons, what is the total volume in cm^3?

• 5.0 x 10^3 cm^3

• 1.2 x 10^3 cm^3

• 6.0 x 10^3 cm^3

• 2.4 x 10^3 cm^3

A researcher finds that a certain bacteria doubles every 3 hours. If there are initially 1.5 x 10^2 bacteria, how many will there be after 12 hours?

• 1200

• 4800

• 600

• 2400

A satellite orbits Earth at an altitude of 3.6 x 10^7 meters. If another satellite orbits at 1.2 x 10^7 meters, what is the difference in their altitudes in meters?

• 1.8 x 10^7 meters

• 2.4 x 10^7 meters

• 4.0 x 10^7 meters

• 3.0 x 10^7 meters

A computer processes data at a rate of 2.0 x 10^9 bits per second. How many bits can it process in 5.0 x 10^2 seconds?

• 2.0 x 10^10 bits

• 1.0 x 10^12 bits

• 5.0 x 10^11 bits

• 1.5 x 10^12 bits

A package weighs 4.0 x 10^-2 kg. If you have 3 packages, what is the total weight in kg?

• 1.2 x 10^-1 kg

• 5.0 x 10^-1 kg

• 3.0 x 10^-2 kg

• 1.0 x 10^-1 kg