In scientific notation, what does the value of the exponent indicate about the number?

• A. The number of places the decimal point is moved to obtain the coefficient between 1 and 10
• B. The magnitude of the coefficient in scientific notation
• C. The total number of digits in the number
• D. The number of significant figures in the number

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that scientific notation expresses a number as a product of a coefficient and a power of 10, written as \(a \times 10^{n}\), where \(a\) is the coefficient and \(n\) is the exponent.
2. Recognize that the coefficient \(a\) is always a number between 1 and 10 (including 1 but less than 10).
3. The exponent \(n\) indicates how many places the decimal point has been moved to convert the original number into the coefficient \(a\).
4. If the original number is greater than 10, the decimal point is moved to the left, and the exponent \(n\) is positive, showing the number of places moved.
5. If the original number is less than 1, the decimal point is moved to the right, and the exponent \(n\) is negative, indicating the number of places moved to get the coefficient between 1 and 10.