Mastering Scientific Notation: Word Problems & Context

A scientist measures the mass of a small particle as 3.2 x 10^-27 kg. If she has 5.0 x 10^3 particles, what is the total mass of all the particles in kg?

• 2.5 x 10^-23 kg

• 1.6 x 10^-23 kg

• 1.0 x 10^-23 kg

• 4.0 x 10^-23 kg

A bacteria culture grows at a rate of 1.5 x 10^6 bacteria per hour. If the culture is observed for 4 hours, how many bacteria are there in total?

• 6.0 x 10^6

• 3.0 x 10^6

• 1.5 x 10^7

• 4.5 x 10^6

A comet is traveling at a speed of 2.4 x 10^4 km/h. How far will it travel in 3 hours? Express your answer in scientific notation.

• 5.4 x 10^4 km

• 7.2 x 10^4 km

• 6.0 x 10^4 km

• 8.4 x 10^4 km

A factory produces 2.5 x 10^5 toys each day. How many toys does it produce in 30 days?

• 8.0 x 10^6 toys

• 7.5 x 10^6 toys

• 5.0 x 10^6 toys

• 6.0 x 10^6 toys

A cell phone has a storage capacity of 1.2 x 10^2 GB. If a user has 3 of these phones, what is the total storage capacity in GB?

• 480 GB

• 360 GB

• 240 GB

• 120 GB

A car can travel 6.0 x 10^2 km on a full tank of gas. If the car makes 4 trips, how far can it travel in total?

• 1200 km

• 1800 km

• 2400 km

• 3000 km

A small company has a revenue of 4.5 x 10^6 dollars this year. If they expect to double their revenue next year, what will their expected revenue be in scientific notation?

• 9.0 x 10^6

• 10.0 x 10^6

• 7.5 x 10^6

• 8.0 x 10^6

A satellite orbits the Earth at a height of 3.6 x 10^7 meters. If it travels around the Earth 5 times, how far does it travel in total?

• 2.661 x 10^8 meters

• 5.5 x 10^8 meters

• 3.0 x 10^8 meters

• 1.2 x 10^8 meters

A library has 2.0 x 10^4 books. If each book has an average of 3.5 x 10^2 pages, how many pages are there in total in the library?

• 7.0 x 10^6

• 5.0 x 10^6

• 8.5 x 10^6

• 6.0 x 10^6

A researcher studies 1.1 x 10^5 stars in a galaxy. If she finds that 2.0 x 10^2 of them are similar to the sun, what fraction of the stars are similar to the sun in scientific notation?

• 5.5 x 10^-4

• 1.0 x 10^-1

• 1.8 x 10^-3

• 2.0 x 10^-2