Which of the following is the correct scientific notation for 0.000027?

• A. 2.7 imes 10^{-4}
• B. 2.7 imes 10^{-5}
• C. 2.7 imes 10^{-6}
• D. 2.7 imes 10^{5}

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the position of the first non-zero digit in the number 0.000027. Here, the first non-zero digit is 2, which is located five places to the right of the decimal point.
2. Rewrite the number by moving the decimal point to the right of the first non-zero digit, which gives 2.7.
3. Count how many places the decimal point was moved to convert 0.000027 into 2.7. Since it was moved 5 places to the right, the exponent in scientific notation will be negative 5.
4. Express the number in scientific notation as \$2.7 \times 10^{-5}\(, where 2.7 is the coefficient and \)10^{-5}$ indicates the decimal point was moved 5 places to the right.
5. Verify that the coefficient is between 1 and 10, and the exponent correctly reflects the number of decimal places moved. This confirms that \$2.7 \times 10^{-5}$ is the correct scientific notation for 0.000027.