Which of the following correctly expresses 0.000031 in scientific notation?

• A. 31 imes 10^{-6}
• B. 3.1 imes 10^{-4}
• C. 3.1 imes 10^{-5}
• D. 3.1 imes 10^{5}

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the given number: 0.000031.
2. Recall that scientific notation expresses a number as \(a \times 10^{n}\), where \$1 \leq a < 10\( and \)n$ is an integer.
3. Move the decimal point in 0.000031 to the right until you have a number between 1 and 10. Count how many places you move the decimal point.
4. Express the number as \(a \times 10^{-n}\), where \(n\) is the number of places the decimal point was moved to the right (negative exponent because the original number is less than 1).
5. Compare your expression to the given options to identify the correct scientific notation.