1. Subtract 4.66 x 10^-5 - 7.34 x 10^-7
A. -2.68 x 10^2
B. 2.68 x 10^2
C. 4.5866 x 10^-5
D. -4.5866 x 10^-5
To subtract these numbers, we need to make sure that the exponents of the numbers are the same. We can do this by multiplying both numbers by 10^7:
(4.66 x 10^-5) x (10^7) = 4.66 x 10^(-5+7) = 4.66 x 10^2
(7.34 x 10^-7) x (10^7) = 7.34 x 10^(-7+7) = 7.34 x 10^0 = 7.34
Now we can subtract:
4.66 x 10^2 - 7.34 = 457.66
Therefore, the correct option is:
A. -2.68 x 10^2
To subtract two numbers written in scientific notation (with the same exponent), we subtract the coefficients and keep the same exponent.
Given:
First number = 4.66 x 10^(-5)
Second number = 7.34 x 10^(-7)
To subtract these numbers, we subtract the coefficients:
4.66 - 7.34 = -2.68
The exponent remains the same: 10^(-5)
Therefore, the subtraction is: -2.68 x 10^(-5)
The correct answer is option A. -2.68 x 10^2.
To subtract two numbers in scientific notation, such as 4.66 x 10^(-5) and 7.34 x 10^(-7), you need to match the exponents.
In this case, since both numbers are expressed with a negative exponent, you can directly subtract the decimal parts and keep the exponent the same.
4.66 x 10^(-5) - 7.34 x 10^(-7) = 4.66 x 10^(-5) - 0.734 x 10^(-6)
To subtract the decimal parts, shift the decimal point of 0.734 by one place to the left to match the number of decimal places in 4.66.
0.734 x 10^(-6) becomes 0.0734 x 10^(-5)
Now, you can subtract the decimal parts:
4.66 x 10^(-5) - 0.0734 x 10^(-5) = (4.66 - 0.0734) x 10^(-5) = 4.5866 x 10^(-5)
Therefore, the correct answer is option C: 4.5866 x 10^(-5).