Scientific Notation Problem Solving
Name___________________________ Date__________
1. Determine which measurement would be least likely to be written in scientific
notation: size of bacteria, speed of a car, or number of stars in a galaxy. Explain
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2. The average size of an atom is about 0.00000003 centimeter across. Express
this number in scientific notation. __________________
3. The diameter of a human red blood cell ranges from approximately 6 x 10-6 to
8 x 10-6 meters. Write this range in standard notation.
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4. The major components of human blood are red blood cells, white blood cells,
platelets, and plasma. A typical red blood cell has a diameter of approximately
7 x 10-6 meter. A typical platelet has a diameter of approximately 2.33 x 10-6
meter. Which has a greater diameter, a red blood cell or a platelet? Write your
answer in standard notation.
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5. An ordinary quarter contains about 97,700,000,000,000,000,000,000 atoms.
Express this number in scientific notation.
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Use the table to answer questions 6–7.
6. Express a light-year in miles using scientific notation.
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7. How many miles is it from Earth to the star Sirius? Write your answer in
scientific notation. __________________________
8. The orbits of Neptune and Pluto cross each other. Neptune’s average distance
from the Sun is approximately 4.5 x 109 kilometers. Pluto’s average distance
from the Sun is approximately 5.87 x 109 kilometers. Which planet has the
greater average distance from the Sun? _______________________
9. Insects can multiply rapidly during the summer. A pair of houseflies could
potentially grow to a population of 1.91 x 1020. If all the descendants of a female
cabbage aphid lived, the population could increase to 1.56 x 1024. Which
population would be larger? __________________________
10. The graph shows the gross domestic product (GDP) for several countries
around the world. Identify the country whose GDP is twice that of another
country. Write the GDPs of both countries in standard form.
11. The maximum length of a particle that can fit through a surgical mask is
1 x 10-6 millimeters. The average length of a dust mite is approximately
1.25 x 10-1 millimeters. Which is longer, the largest particle that can fit
through a surgical mask or a dust mite of average length? Explain why.
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12. The distance from Earth to the Moon is about 384,000 km. Suppose an
astronaut travels this distance a total of 250 times. How many kilometers does
the astronaut travel? Write the answer in scientific notation.
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13. Suppose you have a million dollars in pennies. A penny is 1.55 mm thick.
How tall would a stack of all your pennies be? Write the answer in scientific
notation. ___________________________