Final answer:
The statement is false; scientific notation is used for both very large and very small numbers by using a coefficient and a power of 10 to express the number in a simplified form.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that scientific notation is only used to rewrite big numbers is false. Scientific notation is a method for expressing both very large and very small numbers in a more manageable form. This notation consists of a coefficient, which is a number greater than or equal to 1 and less than 10, and a power of 10. For instance, the number 0.00000000036 would be written as 3.6 × 10-10. The power of 10, also known as the exponent, indicates how many places to move the decimal point to return to the original number.
The process of converting any number to scientific notation involves moving the decimal point to create a new number between 1 and 10, then multiplying by 10 raised to the number of places the decimal was moved. The exponent is positive if the decimal is moved to the left and negative if moved to the right.