How to Express the Weight of an Elephant in Gigatonnes?

Question:

What is the weight of an elephant in gigatonnes?

Answer:

106 grams = 106 * 10⁻¹⁵ gigatonnes

Explanation:

1 gigatonne = 1 billion tonnes = 1,000,000,000 tonnes

1 tonne = 1,000 kg

1 kilogram = 1,000 grams

Therefore:

1 gram = 1/1000 = 0.001 kg

0.001 kg = 1/1000 = 0.000001 tonnes

0.000001 tonnes = 0.000001/1,000,000,000 = 0.000000000000001 gigatonnes

So, 106 grams = 106 * 0.000000000000001 = 0.000000000000106 gigatonnes

The best way to express this number is through scientific notation, which is based on 10 and an exponent.

The exponent in this case corresponds to the number of digits moved from the decimal point, for example, after the decimal point, there are 12 zeros and as these are moved from right to left, the exponent is negative (when moved from left to right, the exponent is positive). 0.000000000000106 gigatonnes = 0.106 * 10⁻¹²

However, we can move three more digits, and then the result is: 106 * 10⁻¹⁵ gigatonnes