High School

What is the correct way to write [tex]$1,550,000,000$[/tex] in scientific notation?

A. [tex]$1.55 \times 10^9$[/tex]
B. [tex]$1.55 \times 10^{10}$[/tex]
C. [tex]$15.5 \times 10^8$[/tex]
D. [tex]$15.5 \times 10^9$[/tex]

Answer :

To write the number [tex]$1,550,000,000$[/tex] in scientific notation, follow these steps:

1. Identify the Significant Figures: Look at the number and identify the significant digits. In this case, the significant digits are "155."

2. Place the Decimal Point: In scientific notation, you need to place the decimal point after the first significant digit to form a number between 1 and 10. For "155," this becomes "1.55."

3. Count the Decimal Places: Count how many places you have moved the decimal point to get from the original number to the new number. Starting from the end of the original number (the right-most zero), count left to where you place the new decimal point just after the first significant digit:

Original number: 1,550,000,000
New number: 1.55

The decimal has moved 9 places to the left.

4. Write in Scientific Notation: Express the number as a product of the new decimal number and a power of ten. The power of ten should be equal to the number of places you moved the decimal point. Since we moved the decimal 9 places to the left, the power of ten is 9.

Thus, [tex]$1,550,000,000$[/tex] can be written as:
[tex]\[
1.55 \times 10^9
\][/tex]

Therefore, the correct way to write [tex]$1,550,000,000$[/tex] in scientific notation is [tex]\(1.55 \times 10^9\)[/tex].