Addition and subtraction

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HiSET › Addition and subtraction

Questions 1 - 1

Simplify the following expression using scientific notation.

$(1.26\times10^6)+(2.4\times10^4)$

$1.284\times10^6$

$1.284\times10^5$

$1.2624\times10^6$

$1.5\times10^6$

$1.24677\times10^6$

Explanation

You can solve this problem in several ways. One way is to convert each number out of scientific notation and write it out fully, then find the sum of the two values and convert the answer back into scientific notation.

$1.26\times10^6+2.4\times10^4 \newline = 1,260,000+24,000 \newline = 1,284,000 \newline = 1.284\times10^6$

Another, potentially faster, way to solve this problem is to convert one answer into the same scientific-notational terms as the other and then sum them.

$1.26\times10^6+2.4\times10^4$

$2.4\times10^{4}=0.024\times10^{6}$

$1.26\times10^6+0.024\times10^6=(1.26+0.024)\times10^6=1.284\times10^6$