Real-World Scientific Notation Problem Solving for 8th Graders

A scientist measures the mass of a small particle as 3.5 x 10^-9 grams. If she has 4.2 x 10^3 particles, what is the total mass of all the particles in grams?

• 3.0 x 10^-4 grams

• 1.47 x 10^-5 grams

• 2.8 x 10^-5 grams

• 1.05 x 10^-5 grams

A car travels 2.5 x 10^5 meters in a race. If the race is 1.0 x 10^6 meters long, how much further does the car need to travel to finish the race?

• 1.0 x 10^6 meters

• 5.0 x 10^5 meters

• 2.5 x 10^5 meters

• 7.5 x 10^5 meters

The distance from Earth to a nearby star is approximately 4.2 x 10^16 meters. If a spaceship travels at a speed of 3.0 x 10^7 meters per second, how long will it take to reach the star in seconds?

• 5.6 x 10^10 seconds

• 2.8 x 10^8 seconds

• 1.0 x 10^7 seconds

• 1.4 x 10^9 seconds

A factory produces 1.5 x 10^4 widgets per day. If the factory operates for 2.0 x 10^3 days, how many widgets does it produce in total?

• 2.5 x 10^7

• 3.0 x 10^7

• 1.0 x 10^8

• 4.5 x 10^6

A researcher finds that a certain bacteria doubles in number every 3 hours. If the initial population is 1.2 x 10^2 bacteria, how many bacteria will there be after 12 hours?

• 2.56 x 10^3

• 1.92 x 10^3

• 1.20 x 10^2

• 1.44 x 10^3

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?

• 2.4 x 10^7 meters

• 4.0 x 10^7 meters

• 3.0 x 10^7 meters

• 1.8 x 10^7 meters

A smartphone has a storage capacity of 2.5 x 10^9 bytes. If an app takes up 1.5 x 10^8 bytes, how much storage is left after installing the app?

• 2.0 x 10^9 bytes

• 2.35 x 10^9 bytes

• 2.1 x 10^9 bytes

• 2.4 x 10^9 bytes

A biologist studies a species of fish that can grow to 2.0 x 10^2 centimeters in length. If a particular fish is currently 1.5 x 10^1 centimeters long, how much more does it need to grow to reach its maximum length?

• 150 cm

• 185 cm

• 200 cm

• 175 cm

A computer processes data at a rate of 5.0 x 10^6 bits per second. How many bits can it process in 2.0 x 10^2 seconds?

• 1.0 x 10^9 bits

• 2.0 x 10^9 bits

• 5.0 x 10^8 bits

• 1.0 x 10^8 bits

A meteorologist reports that the amount of rainfall in a region is 3.0 x 10^2 millimeters over a month. If the average rainfall in the previous month was 1.5 x 10^2 millimeters, how much more rainfall was there this month?

• 1.0 x 10^2 millimeters

• 2.0 x 10^2 millimeters

• 3.5 x 10^2 millimeters

• 1.5 x 10^2 millimeters