The U.S. national debt was $2.9617×10^13 in 2021 and $3.98×10^11 in 1971. Find how much the debt increased in the 50-year period.
To find how much the debt increased, we need to subtract the debt in 1971 from the debt in 2021.
Debt increase = Debt in 2021 - Debt in 1971
Debt increase = 2.9617×10^13 - 3.98×10^11
To subtract these numbers, we need to make sure they have the same exponent.
2.9617×10^13 = 296.17×10^11 (moving the decimal point two places to the left)
Debt increase = 296.17×10^11 - 3.98×10^11
Now that the exponents are the same, we can simply subtract the numbers in front:
Debt increase = (296.17 - 3.98) × 10^11
Debt increase = 292.19 × 10^11
The debt increased by $292.19 × 10^11, or in scientific notation, $2.9219×10^13.
To find how much the U.S. national debt increased over the 50-year period from 1971 to 2021, we need to subtract the debt in 1971 from the debt in 2021.
Debt in 2021: $2.9617×10^13
Debt in 1971: $3.98×10^11
The increase in debt is given by:
Increase = Debt in 2021 - Debt in 1971
Plugging in the values:
Increase = $2.9617×10^13 - $3.98×10^11
To subtract these values, we need to express them in the same power of 10.
$2.9617×10^13 can be written as $296.17×10^11 (moving the decimal point two places to the left).
Therefore, the increase in debt is:
Increase = $296.17×10^11 - $3.98×10^11
Since the two values have the same power of 10, we can directly subtract the numbers:
Increase = ($296.17 - $3.98) × 10^11
Calculating the result:
Increase = $292.19 × 10^11
Therefore, the U.S. national debt increased by $292.19 × 10^11 or $29.219 trillion over the 50-year period from 1971 to 2021.
To find the increase in the U.S. national debt over the 50-year period from 1971 to 2021, you can subtract the debt in 1971 from the debt in 2021.
Step 1: Write down the debt in 2021: $2.9617 × 10^13.
Step 2: Write down the debt in 1971: $3.98 × 10^11.
Now we can calculate the increase in the national debt:
Step 3: Convert the debt values to a common exponential notation: $2.9617 × 10^13 = 29.617 × 10^12 and $3.98 × 10^11 = 0.398 × 10^12.
Step 4: Subtract the debt in 1971 from the debt in 2021: (29.617 × 10^12) - (0.398 × 10^12).
To subtract these numbers, we subtract the coefficients and keep the exponent the same: 29.617 - 0.398 = 29.219.
So, the increase in the U.S. national debt over the 50-year period from 1971 to 2021 is $29.219 × 10^12 or $2.9219 × 10^13.