Question

To determine the age of fossils, scientists use radiometric dating. This involves measuring quantities of certain radioactive isotopes and using mathematical equations to compare the amounts of each isotope present.A piece of petrified woodSascha Burkard/ShutterstockSuppose a scientist dates a piece of petrified wood and calculates that it is approximately 23,881,392.3102 years old. The petrified wood is later displayed in a museum.What is the most reasonable way for the museum tour guide to describe the age of the wood to museum visitors?

Answer 1

A scientist dates a piece of petrified wood and calculates that it is approximately 23,881,392.3102 years old.

The most reasonable way for the museum tour guide to describe the age of the wood to museum visitors is by writing the age in scientific notation.

Bring the decimal point to the left until only one number is left.

2.3881x10^7

We shifted the decimal point to the left by 7 digits. That's why the power is 7.

So, the age of the wood in scientific notation is

`2.3881*10^7\;years`