Question

a scientist was studying the weight of different types of elephants. the average weight of an african elephant was 2.43 × 10⁴ pounds, while the average weight of an asian elephant was 8.1 × 10³ pounds.
how many times larger was the african elephant compared to the asian elephant?
the weight of the african elephant was about times larger than the weight of the asian elephant

Explanation:

Step1: Set up the division

We need to divide the weight of the African elephant by the weight of the Asian elephant. The weight of the African elephant is $2.43\times 10^{4}$ pounds and the weight of the Asian elephant is $8.1\times 10^{3}$ pounds. So the calculation is $\frac{2.43\times 10^{4}}{8.1\times 10^{3}}$.

Step2: Divide the coefficients and subtract the exponents

First, divide the coefficients: $\frac{2.43}{8.1}=0.3$. Then, subtract the exponents of 10 using the rule $\frac{10^{m}}{10^{n}}=10^{m - n}$, so $\frac{10^{4}}{10^{3}}=10^{4 - 3}=10^{1}$.

Step3: Multiply the results

Multiply the result of the coefficient - division and the result of the exponent - operation: $0.3\times10^{1}=3$.

Answer:

3