SOLUTION: Please help me solve this problem and show all steps necessary to get this step. Assume that the volume of the earth is 5 × 1014 cubic meters and the volume of a bacterium is 2.

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Question 335069: Please help me solve this problem and show all steps necessary to get this step.
Assume that the volume of the earth is 5 × 1014 cubic meters and the volume of a bacterium is 2.5 × 10-16 cubic meters. If the earth could be filled with bacteria, how many would it contain? (Round to one decimal place.)

Answer by Theo(13342) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Volume of the earth is 5+%2A+10%5E14 cubic meters.
Volume of a bacteria is 2.5+%2A+10%5E-16 cubic meters.

You divide the volume of the earth by the volume of the bacteria to see how many bacteria would fit in it.

That would be:

%285+%2A+10%5E14%29+%2F+%282.5+%2A+10%5E%28-16%29%29

5+%2F+2.5+=+2

10%5E14+%2F+10%5E%28-16%29 = 10%5E%2814+-+%28-16%29%29 = 10%5E%2814+%2B+16%29 = 10%5E30.

The number of bacteria that could fit into the volume of the earth is equal to 2+%2A+10%5E30.