The mass of the sun is 2.13525Γ1030 kilograms. The mass of Mercury is 3.285Γ1023 kilograms. How many times greater is the mass of the sun than the mass of Mercury? Drag and drop the values into the boxes to represent the answer in scientific notation.
Question
Answer:
6.5 x 10^6
To answer this question, you need to divide the mass of the sun by the mass of mercury. So
2.13525 x 10^30 / 3.285 x 10^23 = ?
To do the division, divide the mantissas in the normal fashion
2.13525 / 3.285 = 0.65
And subtract the exponents.
30 - 23 = 7
So you get
0.65 x 10^7
Unless the mantissa is zero, the mantissa must be greater than or equal to 0 and less than 10. So multiply the mantissa by 10 and then subtract 1 from the exponent, giving
6.5 x 10^6
So the sun is 6.5 x 10^6 times as massive as mercury.
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