Question

The area of South America is approximately 1.78 × 10^7 square kilometers. Its population is approximately 3.50 × 10^8 people. What is the approximate population density (people per square kilometer) of South America? Write your answer in standard form. If necessary, round your answer to the nearest hundredth.

Answer 1

the approximate population density of South America is 1.97 × 10^1 people per square kilometer.

Explanation:

To find the population density of South America, we need to divide its population by its area:

Population density = Population / Area

Plugging in the given values:

Population density = 3.50 × 10^8 / 1.78 × 10^7

Population density = 19.66

To express the answer in standard form, we need to move the decimal point one place to the left and adjust the exponent accordingly:

Population density = 1.966 × 10^1

Rounding this to the nearest hundredth gives:

Population density ≈ 1.97 × 10^1

Therefore, the approximate population density of South America is 1.97 × 10^1 people per square kilometer.