A certain insect is approximately 4 × 10^(-2) inches long. A second insect is about 1.3 × 10^(-1) inches long. What is the total length of the two insects in inches? Use scientific notation to express your answer to 1 decimal place. (1 point)
To find the total length of the two insects, we add the length of the first insect to the length of the second insect.
The length of the first insect is 4 × 10^(-2) inches.
The length of the second insect is 1.3 × 10^(-1) inches.
Adding these together, we get:
4 × 10^(-2) + 1.3 × 10^(-1) = 0.04 + 0.13 = 0.17
Therefore, the total length of the two insects is 0.17 inches.
Expressing our answer in scientific notation to 1 decimal place gives us:
1.7 × 10^(-1) inches. Answer: \boxed{1.7 × 10^(-1)}.