A skyscraper has a mass of 2.2×105 tons. Another skyscraper in the same town has a mass of 3.7×105 tons. What is the combined mass, in tons, of the two skyscrapers? Use scientific notation to express your answer to 1 decimal place.
To find the combined mass of the two skyscrapers, we add their individual masses.
Combined mass = 2.2×10^5 + 3.7×10^5
= 5.9×10^5
Expressing the answer in scientific notation to 1 decimal place gives:
Combined mass = 5.9×10^5 tons.