Which of the following is the correct way to write 602 in scientific notation?

• A. 0.602 \times 10^{3}
• B. 6.02 \times 10^{2}
• C. 60.2 \times 10^{1}
• D. 602 \times 10^{0}

Answer: (B)

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, i.e., \(a \times 10^{n}\) where \$1 \leq a < 10\( and \)n$ is an integer.
2. Look at the number 602 and identify how to rewrite it so that the coefficient (the number before the \(\times 10^{n}\)) is between 1 and 10.
3. Rewrite 602 as 6.02 multiplied by a power of 10. Since 6.02 is 100 times smaller than 602, multiply it by \$10^{2}\( to compensate: \)6.02 \times 10^{2}$.
4. Check the other options to see if their coefficients are between 1 and 10 and if the powers of 10 correctly represent the original number.
5. Conclude that the correct scientific notation for 602 is the one with a coefficient between 1 and 10 and the appropriate power of 10, which is \$6.02 \times 10^{2}$.