The problem is:
(8.86 + 1.0 X 10^-3) / 3.610 X 10^-3
Well I got 2.73 X 10^-3 as an answer, but I know for a fact that this is wrong because my teacher said it was.
Your teacher is right.
What do you get when you add
8.86 + 1.0 X 10^-3 = 8.86 + .001 ?
What do you get when you divide that sum by 3.610 X 10^-3 = .003610 ?
(I didn't get your answer.)
(8.86 + 1.0 * 10^-3)/3.610 *10^-3
=8.861/0.00361
=2454.570637
=2454.57
To solve the problem, you need to follow the order of operations (also known as PEMDAS) and correctly handle scientific notation.
Starting with the addition part, you have 8.86 + 1.0 X 10^-3. To add these two numbers, you can ignore the scientific notation for now and treat it as a regular addition:
8.86 + 0.001 = 8.861
Next, you need to divide this sum by 3.610 X 10^-3. To perform this division, you first divide the non-scientific notation portion:
8.861 / 0.00361 = 2448.754859
To convert this number back to scientific notation, you need to move the decimal point to the left until there is only one non-zero digit to the left of it. This will give you 2.448754859 X 10^3.
Rounded to three significant figures, the final answer is 2.45 X 10^3, or 2450 as a regular number.
So, your initial answer of 2.73 X 10^-3 is indeed incorrect. The correct answer is 2.45 X 10^3, or 2450.
To calculate the expression (8.86 + 1.0 X 10^-3) / 3.610 X 10^-3, follow these steps:
Step 1: Add 8.86 and 1.0 X 10^-3
8.86 + 1.0 X 10^-3 = 8.86 + 0.001 = 8.861
Step 2: Divide the sum from step 1 by 3.610 X 10^-3
8.861 / 3.610 X 10^-3 = 2454.570637
Step 3: Round the answer to the appropriate number of significant figures
Rounding 2454.570637 to three significant figures gives us 2450.
Therefore, the correct answer is 2450.