Question

An average grain of sand weighs 0.00265 g. How would this number be written in scientific notation?

a. 26.5*10⁻³
b. 2.65*10⁻⁴
c. 2.65* 10⁻³
d. 2.65*10⁻²

Answer 1

The correct scientific notation for an average grain of sand weighing 0.00265 g is 2.65 × 10⁻³.

Step-by-step explanation:

An average grain of sand weighs 0.00265 g. To express this number in scientific notation, we must write it as a number between 1 and 10 multiplied by a power of 10.

So, we move the decimal place three positions to the right, which gives us 2.65. Since we moved the decimal to the right, the exponent will be negative because the original number is less than 1.

The correct scientific notation for 0.00265 g is 2.65 × 10⁻³, which corresponds to answer option c.