Rhode Island is the smallest state in the United States. Its land area is about 2.9 × 1010 square feet. Alaska, the largest state, is about 5.5 × 102 times as large as Rhode Island. What is the land area of Alaska in square feet? Write your answer in scientific notation

Online "^" is used to indicate an exponent, e.g., x^2 = x squared.

Online, “*” is used to indicate multiplication to avoid confusion with “x” as an unknown.

When multiplying/dividing exponents, you add/subtract respectively.

(5.5*10^2)(2.9*10^10) = 15.95*10^12

To find the land area of Alaska in square feet, we need to multiply the land area of Rhode Island by the given ratio, which is 5.5 × 10^2.

In scientific notation, 5.5 × 10^2 means 5.5 multiplied by 100, or 550.

So, to find the land area of Alaska, we multiply the land area of Rhode Island (2.9 × 10^10 square feet) by the ratio (550).

(2.9 × 10^10) x (550) = 1.595 × 10^13

Therefore, the land area of Alaska in square feet is approximately 1.595 × 10^13.