Given:
The population of the city is 7.2 × 10^5
7.2 x 10⁵ in standard from is 720,000
720,000 is 18 times greater than the population in town.
720,000 / 18 = 40,000
The population in the small town is 40,000.
It can be presented in scientific notation as 4 x 10⁴.