How do you multiply (4.0 x 10^-5) * (3.1 x 10^-2)?

1 Answer
Apr 2, 2015

You can just multiply similars by similars, since there is only multiplication:

(4.0 * 3.1) * (10^(-5) * 10^(-2))

Exponents are added up if their base are the same and if they are multiplied.

(12.4) * 10^(-7)

Second Way

The scientific notation is just there for readability.

The expression is equivalent to this:

4 * (1/100000) * 3.1 * 1/100

= 12.4/10000000 = 12.4*10^(-7)