maybe 5.8 times 10 times 10 times 10 = 5,800
then 2.0 times 10 times 10 times 10 times 10 times 10 times 10 times 10 = 20,000,000
so 5,800 - 20,000,000 = -19,994,200
you can write out these numbers as 5800 and 20,000,000 and subtract the larger from the smaller. You will of course get a negative number since 20 million is many times larger than 5800. The answer is( -19,994,200) which (written in exponential notation as the original problem) is : -1.99942X10^7
Scientific notation was meant to represent very big or very small numbers. With this purpose in mind, it is much easier to keep the numbers in scientific notation, especially if you have to solve problems where the exponents are really high or really low (i.e. 10^-34 or 10^24).Anyway, let's solve the problem! You can summarize each step with these guidelines:1. Get the number to increase the smaller exponent equal to the larger one2. Divide the number with the smaller exponent by 10^n (n is the number you increased the exponent)3. Add or subtract coefficients4. Convert any answers into scientific notationLike so...1. (5.8x10^7) - (2.0x10^7)2. (.00058 x 10^7) - (2.0x10^7)3. -1.99942x10^74. (the number is already in scientific notation since the coefficient is between 1 and 10)So, our answer is -1.99942x10^7.~ Azaler
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