Final answer:
The number 9,461,000,000,000,000 expressed in scientific notation is 9.461 × 1015. This is done by moving the decimal 15 places to the left from the end of the number.
Step-by-step explanation:
To express the number 9,461,000,000,000,000 in scientific notation, you first locate the decimal point which is at the end of the number, and then move it so that there is only one non-zero digit to the left of the decimal. Count the number of places you move the decimal to achieve this form. In this case, the decimal point is moved 15 places to the left, so the number is written as 9.461 × 1015.
Scientific notation is a way to express very large or very small numbers in a compact form. We represent the number as a product of a number between 1 and 10, and a power of ten. The power of ten, also known as the exponent, indicates how many places the decimal should be moved to convert the number back to its original form.