Chapter 1, Problem 37A

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation:

The number 1 trillion needs to be written using the correct number of zeros.

Concept introduction:

1 trillion is equal to a million millions. It is the amount of pounds the scale shows if the whole human population is taken. It is the number of seconds humans have been around or the number of miles in one light year.

Answer to Problem 37A

1 trillion is $\text{1000000000000=1}\times {\text{10}}^{\text{12}}$

Explanation of Solution

The text shows that 1 trillion atoms can be fit into a period at the end of this sentence.

So, 1 trillion could be written in two notations: Regular notation and scientific notation.

The regular notation is the way in which a number is generally written. For example: three hundred and sixty million are written as 360, 000, 000.

Scientific notation is used to express any number as a number between 1 and 10 that is known as coefficient and is multiplied by 10 raised to a power that is known as exponent.

So in regular notation, 1 trillion is 1000000000000 whereas in scientific notation it is expressed as $\text{1}\times {\text{10}}^{\text{12}}$.

Conclusion

Thus, 1 trillion is $\text{1000000000000=1}\times {\text{10}}^{\text{12}}$.