John Muir was an American naturalist born in Scotland on April 21, 1838.As one of the first advocates of the United States' wilderness preservation, Muir spent his career writing letters, essays and books about many of his experiences in the Sierra Nevada mountains, located in northern California.Muir's influence on the history of American wilderness continues to live on past his death (in the early twentieth century) as people of all ages visit and hike through the 221 miles of the John Muir Trail, named in Muir's honor.The trail begins in Yosemite National Park and concludes at Mount Whitney, which contains the highest peak of the continental United States.
The following table compares Mount Whitney"s height, in meters, to other monumental peaks of the world.
Mountain Location Height (in meters)
of Highest Peak
Mount Whitney California, United States 4,418.38 meters
Mount Fuji Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, Japan 3,775.86 meters
Mount Everest Great Himalayas of southern Asia 8,849.87 meters
Mount Kilimanjaro Tanzania, Africa 5,894.83 meters
Mount Olympus Mytikas, Greece 2,919.07 meters
Use the data in the table to complete Parts A, B, and C. In your final answers, include your work for all estimates and calculations.
Part A:
Use scientific notation toestimatethe following:
How many times greater is Mount Everest's highest peak than Mount Olympus's?
Part B:
Use scientific notation tocalculatethe following:
How many times greater is Mount Everest's highest peak than Mount Olympus's?
Part C:
Given the calculation in Part B comparing the highest peaks of Mount Everest and Mount Olympus, can you conclude that the estimate in Part A is reasonable?Answer in complete sentences.