Which expression represents the larger number?
A. 40.1 x 10 to the -6 power
B. 4.1 x 10 to the -7 power
C. 0.411 x 10 to the -6 power
D. 0.04001 x 10 to the -5 power
I got A, but I'm not quite sure if it's the right answer :/
A --- 40.1 x 10^-6 = 4.01 x 10^-5
B ---------------- 4.1 x 10^-7
C ------ .411 x 10^-6 = 4.11 x 10^-7
D .04001 x 10^-5 = 4.001 x 10^-7
The largest number is the one with the largest exponent
since -5 > either -6 or -7
your choice of A is correct
Yeah that's what I thought. But I wasn't sure which was greater, the larger exponent or the smaller one. It's kinda confusing when your dealing with decimals and negative exponents. But thankss :)
To determine which expression represents the larger number, we can compare the numerical parts without considering the exponent. Let's compare:
A. 40.1 x 10 to the -6 power
B. 4.1 x 10 to the -7 power
C. 0.411 x 10 to the -6 power
D. 0.04001 x 10 to the -5 power
To compare these expressions, we can multiply the numerical parts by the power of 10 indicated by the exponent. This will give us the actual numerical values we need to compare.
For example, in option A, we have 40.1 x 10^(-6). To find the actual numerical value, we multiply 40.1 by 10^(-6):
40.1 x (10^(-6)) = 40.1 x 0.000001 = 0.0000401
Repeat this process for the remaining options:
B: 4.1 x (10^(-7)) = 4.1 x 0.0000001 = 0.00000041
C: 0.411 x (10^(-6)) = 0.411 x 0.000001 = 0.000000411
D: 0.04001 x (10^(-5)) = 0.04001 x 0.00001 = 0.0000004001
Comparing the numerical values, we can see that option A has the largest value, 0.0000401.
Therefore, you are indeed correct in selecting option A as the expression that represents the larger number.