A human being is about 2 meters tall and a cargo train is about 2 kilometers long. How many powers of ten larger is the cargo train than the human being?
Select one:
a. One
b. Three
c. Two
d. One thousand
e. One hundred
(2x10^3)/(2) = 10^3
so, 3 orders larger
but can you really compare height and length? :-)
To compare the sizes of the human being and the cargo train in powers of ten, we need to convert the measurements to scientific notation.
A human being being approximately 2 meters tall can be written as 2 x 10^0 meters.
A cargo train approximately 2 kilometers long can be written as 2 x 10^3 meters.
Now, let's compare the exponents:
Exponent of the human being: 0
Exponent of the cargo train: 3
So, the cargo train is 3 powers of ten larger than the human being.
Therefore, the correct answer is:
b. Three
To determine the number of powers of ten larger the cargo train is than the human being, we can compare their respective lengths.
We know that a human being is roughly 2 meters tall, which is equivalent to 2 x 10^0 meters.
On the other hand, a cargo train is about 2 kilometers long, which can be expressed as 2 x 10^3 meters.
To compare the two measurements in scientific notation, we need to find the exponent difference. In this case, the exponent of 10 is larger for the cargo train by 3 (10^3 - 10^0 = 10^3).
Therefore, the cargo train is three powers of ten larger than the human being.
The answer is: b. Three.