Question

Use scientific notation to determine which of these numbers has the least value: 123,893, 31,892, or 12,786. Write your answer in scientific notation, expressed to the exact decimal place

Answer 1

To compare the values of the given numbers using scientific notation, we need to convert them into that form.

First, we will convert the given numbers into scientific notation:

123,893 = 1.23893 x 10^5
31,892 = 3.1892 x 10^4
12,786 = 1.2786 x 10^4

Comparing the exponents, we can see that the smallest value is indicated by the number with the smallest exponent. Therefore, 31,892 (3.1892 x 10^4) has the least value.