Problem 121 - College Algebra

Question

There are approximately \(3.2 \times 10^{7}\) seconds in a year. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Americans consume 127 chickens per second. How many chickens are eaten per year in the United States? Express the answer in scientific notation.

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

Approximately \(4.064 \times 10^{9}\) chickens are consumed per year in the United States.

Step 1: Identify the given values

The problem gives us two values. The first value is the number of seconds in a year, \(3.2 \times 10^{7}\) seconds. The second value is the rate of chicken consumption, which is 127 chickens per second.

Step 2: Perform the multiplication

The total number of chickens consumed in a year can be calculated by multiplying the number of seconds in a year by the number of chickens consumed per second. Hence, the calculation will be \(3.2 \times 10^{7} \text{ seconds/year} \times 127 \text{ chickens/second}\).

Step 3: Execute the multiplication in scientific notation

Executing this multiplication results in \(4.064 \times 10^{9}\) chickens/year.

Step 4: Interpret the result

The result, \(4.064 \times 10^{9}\) chickens/year, tells us that approximately four billion and sixty-four million chickens are consumed per year in the United States.