standard_description: Explain patterns in the number of zeros of the product when multiplying a number by powers of 10, and explain patterns in the placement of the decimal point when a decimal is multiplied or divided by a power of 10. Use whole-number exponents to denote powers of 10.
problem_activity: Task
A penny is about $\frac{1}{16}$ of an inch thick.
In 2011 there were approximately 5 billion pennies minted. If all of these pennies were placed in a single stack, how many miles high would that stack be?
In the past 100 years, nearly 500 billion pennies have been minted. If all of these pennies were placed in a single stack, how many miles high would that stack be?
The distance from the moon to the earth is about 239,000 miles. How many pennies would need to be in a stack in order to reach the moon?


aligns: no