4.3.5: The islands of Samoa have an approximate area of [tex]\(2.91 \times 10^3\)[/tex] square kilometers. The area of Texas is about 230 times as great as that of the islands. What is the approximate area of Texas?

[tex]\[
\begin{array}{l|l}
A & 1.26 \times 10^{-2} \, \text{km}^2 \\
B & 1.26 \times 10^3 \, \text{km}^2 \\
C & 6.69 \times 10^3 \, \text{km}^2 \\
D & 6.69 \times 10^2 \, \text{km}^2
\end{array}
\][/tex]



Answer :

To determine the approximate area of Texas, given that the area of the islands of Samoa is 2.9103 square kilometers and that the area of Texas is about 230 times greater than that of Samoa, we can follow these steps:

1. Identify the given values:
- Area of Samoa: 2.9103 square kilometers
- Multiplication factor: 230

2. Set up the multiplication:
To find the area of Texas, we need to multiply the area of Samoa by the multiplication factor:
[tex]\[ \text{Area of Texas} = \text{Area of Samoa} \times \text{Multiplication factor} \][/tex]

3. Write the multiplication operation:
[tex]\[ \text{Area of Texas} = 2.9103 \text{ km}^2 \times 230 \][/tex]

4. Calculate the result:
Doing the multiplication:
[tex]\[ 2.9103 \times 230 = 669.369 \text{ km}^2 \][/tex]

We find the area of Texas to be approximately 669.369 square kilometers. Given the multiple-choice options, the correct answer is:
[tex]\[ \boxed{6.69 \times 10^2 \text{ km}^2} \][/tex]
So, the answer is [tex]\( \boxed{D} \)[/tex].