Part 1 of 2 Suppose the pH of a solution decreases by 8 . How does the hydrogen ion concentration change? The new hydrogen ion concentration is \( \square \) times the initial concentration. 0 of 1 (Use scientific notation. Use the multiplication symbol in the math palette as needed.)

Let the initial pH be \( p \), so the initial hydrogen ion concentration is \[ [H^+]_{\text{initial}} = 10^{-p}. \] When the pH decreases by 8, the new pH is \[ p_{\text{new}} = p - 8. \] The new hydrogen ion concentration is then \[ [H^+]_{\text{new}} = 10^{-(p-8)} = 10^{8} \times 10^{-p}. \] To find how many times greater the new concentration is compared to the initial concentration, compute the ratio: \[ \frac{[H^+]_{\text{new}}}{[H^+]_{\text{initial}}} = \frac{10^{8} \times 10^{-p}}{10^{-p}} = 10^{8}. \] Thus, the new hydrogen ion concentration is \( 10^{8} \) times the initial concentration.