In one month Americans consumed 320,000,000 gallons of gasoline. Express this number in scientific Notation.
a .3205 x 10^9
b 3.205 x 10^8
c 3.205 x 10^-8
d 32.05 x 10^7
a .3205 x 10^9
The correct answer is a) 3.205 x 10^8.
To express 320,000,000 in scientific notation, we move the decimal point to the left until there is one non-zero digit to the left of the decimal. This gives us 3.2.
Since we moved the decimal point 8 places to the left, we represent this as 3.2 x 10^8.
Therefore, the correct scientific notation for 320,000,000 gallons of gasoline is 3.205 x 10^8.
To express a number in scientific notation, you need to represent it as a product of two numbers: a decimal number between 1 and 10 (inclusive), and a power of 10. This allows us to quickly represent very large or very small numbers.
In this case, to express 320,000,000 in scientific notation, we need to move the decimal point 8 places to the left so that the decimal number is between 1 and 10. This means we divide 320,000,000 by 10^8.
320,000,000 / 10^8 = 3.2
The decimal number is 3.2, and since we moved the decimal point 8 places to the left, the power of 10 is -8.
Therefore, the number 320,000,000 in scientific notation is 3.2 x 10^8.
So, the correct answer is b) 3.205 x 10^8.