Gross domestic product (GDP) is a measure of the economic output of a country. The GDP of the United States was about 1.2 x 1013 dollars in 2005. This is about 3 times the GDP in 1985. What was the U.S. GDP in 1985?

Question

Gross domestic product (GDP) is a measure of the economic output of a country. The GDP of the United States was about 1.2 x 1013 dollars in 2005. This is about 3 times the GDP in 1985. What was the U.S. GDP in 1985?

Answer 1

To find the U.S. GDP in 1985, we need to divide the GDP in 2005 by the growth factor of 3.

GDP in 1985 = GDP in 2005 / Growth factor
GDP in 1985 = 1.2 x 10^13 dollars / 3

Using scientific notation, we can rewrite the GDP in 2005 as 1.2 x 10^13 dollars.

GDP in 1985 = (1.2 x 10^13 dollars) / 3
GDP in 1985 ≈ 0.4 x 10^13 dollars

In standard notation, the U.S. GDP in 1985 was approximately 4 x 10^12 dollars.