Pablo divided (6 x 10^8) by (2 x 10^-4), and got a final answer of 3 x 10^-2. Explain what mistake Pablo made, and give the correct solution.
Pablo's mistake was likely in incorrectly dividing the numbers by subtracting the exponents. To correct this, we need to divide the coefficients and also divide the exponents.
The correct solution would be:
(6 x 10^8) / (2 x 10^-4) = 3 x 10^12
This is because when dividing numbers in scientific notation, you divide the coefficients (6/2 = 3) and subtract the exponents (8 - (-4) = 12).