Question

earth has an estimated mass of 5,972,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg. choose the best approximation of the earths mass. choose 1 answer: a 6·10^{21} kg b 6·10^{24} kg

Explanation:

Step1: Write the Earth's mass in scientific notation

The Earth's mass is $5,972,000,000,000,000,000,000\ kg$. In scientific - notation, we move the decimal point to the left until we have a number between 1 and 10. Here, $5,972,000,000,000,000,000,000=5.972\times 10^{24}\ kg$.

Step2: Approximate the coefficient

Since $5.972\approx6$, the best approximation of the Earth's mass is $6\times 10^{24}\ kg$.

Answer:

B. $6\times 10^{24}\ kg$