If is written as a single term, how many digits would be to the right of the decimal place?
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Is the answer E? I did 6 decimal places times 8 = 48. But then I thought, what about the 10^4? Does that affect the decimal places?
The 10^4 just shifts the decimal point to the right, so the number of decimal places remains the same. So yes, 6×8=48.
Thanks! I always get confused when powers of 10 are involved.
This one was pretty straightforward if you know that multiplying by 10^4 doesn't change the number of decimal digits. Just count decimal places in 3.456789 (which is 6) and multiply by 8. Took me 10 seconds.
Wait, I got 32. How is it 48? I thought 3.456789 has 6 decimal places, and 6*8=48, but then I subtracted 16 because of the 10^4? Can someone explain?
The 10^4 doesn't remove decimal places, it just moves the decimal point. So no subtraction needed. The answer is 48.
For me, the trap was overthinking the 10^4. I initially thought it might cancel some decimals, but it's just a shift. The key is that the decimal part comes only from 3.456789^8.
Exactly. And since 3.456789 has 6 decimal places, raising to the 8th power gives 6*8=48 decimal places.
What it tests
Your fluency with the order of operations, fractions, decimals, and basic number sense — the foundation every quant question leans on.
Common trap
Applying the order of operations out of sequence or rounding intermediate values before the final step.