Mastering Scientific Notation: Word Problem Challenges

A scientist measures the mass of a small particle as 3.2 x 10^-27 kg. If she has 5.0 x 10^6 particles, what is the total mass of all the particles in kg?

• 2.5 x 10^-20 kg

• 4.0 x 10^-20 kg

• 1.0 x 10^-19 kg

• 1.6 x 10^-20 kg

A car travels 1.5 x 10^3 kilometers in a week. How many kilometers does it travel in 4 weeks? Express your answer in scientific notation.

• 1.2 x 10^4

• 6.0 x 10^3

• 7.5 x 10^3

• 5.0 x 10^3

The distance from Earth to a star is approximately 4.2 x 10^16 meters. If a spaceship travels at a speed of 2.0 x 10^7 meters per hour, how long will it take to reach the star in hours?

• 5.0 x 10^10 hours

• 2.1 x 10^9 hours

• 1.0 x 10^8 hours

• 3.0 x 10^7 hours

A factory produces 2.5 x 10^4 toys each day. How many toys does it produce in 30 days? Provide your answer in scientific notation.

• 5.0 x 10^5

• 7.5 x 10^5

• 1.0 x 10^6

• 2.5 x 10^5

A researcher is studying bacteria that reproduce every 3 hours. If she starts with 1.0 x 10^3 bacteria, how many will there be after 24 hours?

• 1.0 x 10^4

• 1.28 x 10^6

• 2.56 x 10^5

• 5.12 x 10^5

A smartphone has a storage capacity of 128 GB, which is 1.28 x 10^2 GB. If a user has 3.5 x 10^1 GB of photos, how much storage is left in scientific notation?

• 9.3 x 10^1 GB

• 1.0 x 10^2 GB

• 8.5 x 10^1 GB

• 7.0 x 10^1 GB

A satellite orbits Earth at an altitude of 3.6 x 10^7 meters. If it travels at a speed of 7.5 x 10^3 meters per second, how far does it travel in 1 hour?

• 2.7 x 10^7 meters

• 1.5 x 10^7 meters

• 3.6 x 10^7 meters

• 5.4 x 10^7 meters

A box contains 4.0 x 10^2 apples. If each apple weighs 1.2 x 10^-1 kg, what is the total weight of the apples in kg?

• 60 kg

• 36 kg

• 72 kg

• 48 kg

A computer processes data at a rate of 2.0 x 10^5 bytes per second. How many bytes can it process in 10 minutes? Express your answer in scientific notation.

• 1.0 x 10^8

• 2.4 x 10^8

• 1.2 x 10^8

• 5.0 x 10^7

A biologist is studying a population of 1.5 x 10^4 frogs. If the population decreases by 2.0 x 10^2 frogs each month, how many frogs are left after 6 months?

• 14000

• 13500

• 13000

• 13800