To express a number in scientific notation, it is essential to follow the correct format, which is represented as a number between 1 and 10 multiplied by a power of ten. The general form is a.bc × 10d, where a is a digit from 1 to 9, b and c are digits, and d is an integer that indicates the exponent.
For example, consider the number 0.000529 × 106. To convert this into standard form, we first need to express it as a regular number. The exponent of 6 indicates that we will move the decimal point 6 places to the right. Since the original number is less than 1, we will move the decimal point to the left, resulting in 0.000529 becoming 5.29 when we shift the decimal point 11 places to the left (6 from the exponent and 5 to adjust to the correct format).
Thus, the scientific notation for this number is 5.29 × 10-11. The negative exponent signifies that the original number is less than 1. This process highlights the importance of understanding how to manipulate the decimal point and the significance of the exponent in scientific notation.
As a shortcut, one can quickly determine the exponent by counting the number of places the decimal moves to achieve a number between 1 and 10. In this case, moving from 0.000529 to 5.29 requires moving the decimal 5 places, and since the original number is less than 1, the exponent becomes negative. Adding this to the original exponent of 6 gives a total of -11.