Question

When numbers are very small or very large, it is convenient to either express the value in scientific notation and/or by using a prefix with the unit. A pain-relieving pill has a mass of 0.005 g. Express the pill’s mass in grams using scientific notation or in milligrams. Express your answer in scientific notation to one significant figure or use a prefix on the unit.

Answer 1

Answer:

5 mg, $5\cdot 10^{-3}g$

Explanation:

First of all, let's rewrite the mass in grams using scientific notation.

we have:

m = 0.005 g

To rewrite it in scientific notation, we must count by how many digits we have to move the dot on the right - in this case three. So in scientific notation is

$m=5\cdot 10^{-3}g$

If  we want to convert into milligrams, we must remind that

1 g = 1000 mg

So we can use the proportion

$1 g : 1000 mg = 0.005 g : x$

and we find

$x=\frac{(1000 mg)(0.005 g)}{1 g}=5 mg$