Mastering Exponents: Scientific Notation Challenges

1. A scientist measures the mass of a small particle as 3.2 x 10^-27 kg. If she has 5 such particles, what is the total mass in scientific notation?

• 3.2 x 10^-26 kg

• 1.0 x 10^-25 kg

• 1.6 x 10^-26 kg

• 6.4 x 10^-27 kg

2. The speed of light is approximately 3.0 x 10^8 meters per second. How far does light travel in 2 seconds? Express your answer in scientific notation.

• 1.5 x 10^8 meters

• 4.0 x 10^8 meters

• 3.0 x 10^9 meters

• 6.0 x 10^8 meters

3. A bacteria culture grows at a rate of 2^3 per hour. If the culture starts with 5 bacteria, how many bacteria will there be after 4 hours?

• 50

• 15

• 37

• 25

4. The distance from Earth to the nearest star is about 4.2 x 10^16 meters. If a spaceship travels at a speed of 1.5 x 10^7 meters per hour, how many hours will it take to reach the star?

• 5.0 x 10^7 hours

• 3.5 x 10^10 hours

• 2.8 x 10^9 hours

• 1.2 x 10^8 hours

5. A cell phone tower emits a signal strength of 10^-5 watts. If the signal strength doubles, what is the new signal strength in scientific notation?

• 2.0e-5

• 5.0e-5

• 3.0e-5

• 1.0e-5

6. A comet is traveling at a speed of 2.5 x 10^4 meters per second. How far will it travel in 3 minutes? Provide your answer in scientific notation.

• 4.5 x 10^6 meters

• 3.0 x 10^6 meters

• 2.0 x 10^7 meters

• 5.0 x 10^5 meters

7. If 10^3 people attend a concert and each person consumes 2^2 snacks, how many snacks are consumed in total?

• 2000

• 4000

• 6000

• 8000

8. A researcher finds that a certain virus can multiply by a factor of 3^2 every hour. If there are initially 10 viruses, how many will there be after 3 hours?

• 1000

• 7290

• 540

• 2430

9. The volume of a small water bottle is 5.0 x 10^-3 cubic meters. If you have 4 such bottles, what is the total volume in scientific notation?

• 1.5 x 10^-2 m^3

• 5.0 x 10^-3 m^3

• 3.0 x 10^-2 m^3

• 2.0 x 10^-2 m^3

10. A computer processes data at a rate of 1.2 x 10^6 bytes per second. How many bytes will it process in 10 seconds? Express your answer in scientific notation.

• 1.2 x 10^7

• 1.2 x 10^6

• 1.2 x 10^5

• 1.2 x 10^8