The Amazon river releases 5.5 x 10^7 gallons of water into the Atlantic Ocean every second. There are about 3.2 x 10^7 seconds in a year. How many gallons are released into the ocean in one year? Express your answer with the appropriate number of significant digits.
To find the number of gallons released into the ocean in one year, we need to multiply the gallons released per second by the number of seconds in a year.
5.5 x 10^7 gallons/second * 3.2 x 10^7 seconds/year = (5.5 x 3.2) x 10^(7+7) gallons/year
= 17.6 x 10^14 gallons/year
Since we are given that the release rate has 2 significant digits (5.5) and the time has 2 significant digits (3.2), our answer should have 2 significant digits.
Therefore, the answer is 1.8 x 10^15 gallons/year.