The U.S. national debt was $2.9617 x 10^13 in 2021 and $3.98 x 10^11 in 1971. Find how much the debt increased in the 50-year period.
To find the increase in debt over the 50-year period, we subtract the initial debt in 1971 from the debt in 2021.
$2.9617 x 10^13 - $3.98 x 10^11 = ($2.9617 - 0.398) x 10^13 = $2.5637 x 10^13
Therefore, the debt increased by $2.5637 x 10^13 in the 50-year period.
To find the increase in the national debt over the 50-year period, we need to subtract the debt in 1971 from the debt in 2021.
Debt in 2021: $2.9617 x 10^13
Debt in 1971: $3.98 x 10^11
Let's perform the subtraction:
Debt increase = Debt in 2021 - Debt in 1971
Debt increase = ($2.9617 x 10^13) - ($3.98 x 10^11)
To subtract the numbers in scientific notation, we need to have the same exponent. Since 10^13 is greater than 10^11, we can rewrite the debt in 1971 with the same exponent:
Debt in 1971 = $3.98 x 10^11 = $0.398 x 10^12
Now we can subtract:
Debt increase = ($2.9617 x 10^13) - ($0.398 x 10^12)
To subtract these numbers, we just subtract the coefficients:
Debt increase = $2.9617 x 10^13 - $0.398 x 10^12
Debt increase = $2.9617 x 10^13 - $0.0398 x 10^13
Next, we can subtract the coefficients:
Debt increase = ($2.9617 - $0.0398) x 10^13
Debt increase = $2.9219 x 10^13
Therefore, the national debt increased by approximately $2.9219 x 10^13 (29.219 trillion dollars) over the 50-year period.
To find the increase in the U.S. national debt over a 50-year period, you need to subtract the debt in 1971 from the debt in 2021.
Given that the U.S. national debt in 2021 is $2.9617 x 10^13 and in 1971 it was $3.98 x 10^11, let's calculate the increase step by step:
1. Convert the debt figures to their decimal notation:
- Debt in 2021: $29,617,000,000,000
- Debt in 1971: $398,000,000,000
2. Subtract the debt in 1971 from the debt in 2021:
$29,617,000,000,000 - $398,000,000,000 = $29,219,000,000,000
Therefore, the U.S. national debt increased by $29,219,000,000,000 over the 50-year period.