Question

When a whole number is multiplied by 10to the 5th power, how does the placement of the decimal point change? a It moves five places to the right. b It moves ten places to the right. c It moves five places to the left. d It moves ten places to the left.

Answer 1

The correct option is;

a) It moves five places to the right

Explanation:

Multiplying a whole number by 10 raised to a given (positive whole number) power, involves the shifting of the positioning of the decimal places to the right, depending on the value of the positive whole number power to which the 10 is raised

Similarly, multiplying a whole number by 10 raised to a given (negative whole number) power, involves the shifting of the positioning of the decimal places to the left, depending on the value of the negative whole number power to which the 10 is raised.

The reason is because, the number base generally used for arithmetic is in base 10 and multiplying or dividing by 10 is what is required to change a number's place value

Therefore, multiplying a whole number by 10 raised to the 5th power (10⁵) requires shifting the decimal place 5 places to the right

Example:

x.0 × 10⁵ = x00000.0

Where, x is a whole number.