Question

Express the number 0.000015 in scientific notation.

Answer 1

The number 0.000015 in scientific notation is written as 1.5 × 10^-5. The process includes moving the decimal five places to the right and using the exponent -5 for 10 to properly signify its original position.

Step-by-step explanation:

To express the number 0.000015 in scientific notation, we must move the decimal point five places to the right, to place the decimal after the first non-zero digit, which is 1. As we move the decimal point to the right, our exponent for 10 will be negative. In scientific notation, the number 0.000015 is written as 1.5 × 10-5.

Here is the step-by-step process:

1. Identify the first non-zero digit in the standard decimal number. For 0.000015, it is the digit '1'.
2. Move the decimal point to the right of the first non-zero digit. In this case, we move the point five places to the right.
3. Count the number of places you moved the decimal point; this is the exponent of 10 in the scientific notation, with a negative sign because the original number is less than 1.
4. The coefficient is now 1.5, and the exponent is -5, so the number expressed in scientific notation is 1.5 × 10-5.