Which of the following expresses 48900 in scientific notation?

• A. 489 × 10^1
• B. 4.89 × 10^3
• C. 48.9 × 10^2
• D. 4.89 × 10^4

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that scientific notation expresses a number as a product of a number between 1 and 10 and a power of 10, in the form \(a \times 10^{n}\) where \$1 \leq a < 10\( and \)n$ is an integer.
2. Start with the given number 48900 and identify how to rewrite it so that the coefficient (the number before the \(\times 10^{n}\)) is between 1 and 10.
3. Move the decimal point in 48900 four places to the left to get 4.89, because 48900 = 4.89 \times 10^{4}.
4. Check the options given and compare their coefficients and powers of 10 to see which one matches the correct scientific notation form.
5. Confirm that the correct scientific notation for 48900 is \$4.89 \times 10^{4}$ because the coefficient is between 1 and 10 and the exponent correctly accounts for the decimal shift.