Suppose a certain type of deciduous tree releases 7500 leaves on average each fall. If the average mass of
each leaf is 1.7 g and a 135 000 acre forest has 206 of these trees per acre, how many kilograms of leaves are
dropped on the forest floor each fall? Express the answer in scientific notation and with the correct number of
significant digits.
I don't know where to start.
3.5x1000^8
To find the total mass of leaves dropped on the forest floor each fall, you'll need to calculate the product of the number of leaves per tree, the number of trees per acre, and the total number of acres in the forest.
First, calculate the total number of leaves per acre. Multiply the average number of leaves released by each tree, 7500, by the number of trees per acre, 206:
7500 leaves/tree x 206 trees/acre = 1,545,000 leaves/acre
Next, calculate the total number of leaves in the entire forest by multiplying the number of leaves per acre, 1,545,000, by the total number of acres in the forest, 135,000:
1,545,000 leaves/acre x 135,000 acres = 208,575,000,000 leaves
Now, calculate the total mass of leaves by multiplying the total number of leaves, 208,575,000,000, by the average mass of each leaf, 1.7 g:
208,575,000,000 leaves x 1.7 g/leaf = 354,037,500,000 g
To convert grams to kilograms, divide by 1000:
354,037,500,000 g รท 1000 = 354,037,500 kg
Finally, express the answer in scientific notation with the correct number of significant digits. The answer, 354,037,500 kg, can be written as 3.54 x 10^8 kg with three significant digits.