Final answer:
The expression 0.00436 as 4 × 10³ is incorrect; the proper scientific notation is 4.36 × 10−5, which accurately represents the decimal number in question.
Step-by-step explanation:
The expression 0.00436 as 4 × 10³ is incorrect because it does not accurately convert the decimal number into scientific notation. The correct scientific notation for 0.00436 would actually move the decimal point three places to the right, converting it to 4.36, and then adjust the power of ten to account for this movement, which would give 4.36 × 10−5 as the correct expression. The power of ten in scientific notation indicates how many places the decimal point should be moved, with a positive power moving the decimal point to the right for numbers greater than one, and a negative power moving it to the left for numbers less than one.
The representation of 0.00436 as 4 * 10³ is not correct because the exponent should match the number of decimal places that are moved when converting from standard notation to scientific notation. In this case, 0.00436 has three decimal places, so it should be represented as 4.36 * 10^-³.