Name __________________________________
9.8ACC Applications of scientific notation
Part A: You may NOT use a calculator
1) The average distance from Earth to the Sun is
approximately 1.5 Х 108 km. Pluto is about 40 times
as far from the Sun as Earth is. What is the
approximate distance from Pluto to the sun?
2) The maximum length of a particle that can fit
through a surgical mask is 1 Х 10-4 mm. The
average length of a dust mite is approximately
1.25 Х 10-1 mm.
a) Can a dust mite fit through the tiny holes of a
surgical mask? Explain.
b) How many times bigger is larger item?
3) The population of the United States is
approximately 250 million, and the national debt is
approximately 4 Х 1012 dollars. If this debt were
divided equally among the population, what would
be the debt, in dollars, per person?
4) The area of Alaska is about 4 × 102 times as big as
Rhode Island. If the area of Rhode Island is about
1.5 × 103 square miles, what is the area of Alaska?
Date ____________________
SHOW YOUR WORK HERE:
Part B: You may use a calculator – AND – YOU MUST SHOW YOUR WORK!
SHOW YOUR WORK HERE:
5) In 2010, the population of China was about 1.3 x 109
and the population of the U.S. was 308,745,538.
About how many times greater was the population
of China that that of the U.S.?
6) In July 2010, there were approximately 500 million
Facebook users. In July 2011 there were
approximately 750 million Facebook users. How
many more users were there in 2011? Write your
answer in scientific notation.
7) A company’s profit of $1.71 × 106 will be shared
equally by its 3,800 employees. How much money will
each employee receive?
8) The circumference of the earth (at the equator) is
about 2.49 x 104 miles.
a) If a satellite circles the earth 250 times, how
many miles has it traveled?
b) The circumference of Jupiter is about
272,343 miles. About how many times greater is
the circumference of the larger planet?
9) Australia and the U.S. are known for their cattle
ranches. Until 2008, the world’s largest cattle
ranch was located in Australia, with an area of
6 x 106 acres. The largest ranch in the U.S. is
825,000 acres. About how many times larger was
the ranch in Australia?
10) The Atlantic Ocean covers about 3.18 × 107 square
miles. The Pacific Ocean covers about 6.40 × 107
square miles. How many times bigger is the Pacific
Ocean?
11) On an average day in 2012, approximately 1.31 x 105
passengers flew out of Kennedy airport.
a) What is the total number of passengers that flew
out of Kennedy Airport in 2012 ?
b) The airport expects the number of passengers in
2013 to increase by 1.8%. How many passengers do
you expect to fly out of Kennedy Airport in 2013?
12) The Horseshoe Nebula is about 5.0 × 103 light years
away from Earth. One light year is equal to
approximately 5.9 × 1012 miles. What is the
approximate distance, in miles, between Earth and
the Horseshoe Nebula?
13) A newborn baby has about 2.6 × 1010 cells. An adult
has about 1.9 × 103 times as many cells as a baby.
About how many cells does an adult have? Write
your answer in scientific notation.
14) Light travels at about 1.86 × 105 miles per second.
How far will light travel in 1 day?
15) A spacecraft leaves Earth’s orbit at a speed of
7 × 105 km per day. To travel from Earth to Saturn,
the craft needs to travel a total distance of
1.4 × 109 km. How long will it take the spacecraft to
reach Saturn?
16) A male elephant weighs 1.5 x 104 pounds. A female
elephant weighs 7.9 x 103 pounds. How many more
pounds does the male elephant weigh than the
female elephant?
17) A fin whale weighs 9.92 x 104 pounds. A blue whale
weighs 187,800 pounds more. How much does the
blue whale weigh?