The tectonic plates of the ocean floor are constantly spreading. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is spreading slowly at about 5×10 – 5 kilometers per year. The East-Pacific Rise is spreading faster at about 1.5×10 – 4 kilometers per year. Use these numbers to complete the sentence below. Write your answer in standard form, without using exponents. The East-Pacific Rise is spreading about times as fast as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.