To compare the numbers 123,893, 31,892, and 12,786 using scientific notation, we first need to convert each of them into scientific notation.
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123,893 can be expressed in scientific notation as: \[ 1.23893 \times 10^5 \]
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31,892 can be expressed in scientific notation as: \[ 3.1892 \times 10^4 \]
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12,786 can be expressed in scientific notation as: \[ 1.2786 \times 10^4 \]
Now we will compare these numbers:
- \(1.23893 \times 10^5\) (which is \(123,893\))
- \(3.1892 \times 10^4\) (which is \(31,892\))
- \(1.2786 \times 10^4\) (which is \(12,786\))
Next, convert all of them to the same exponent to make comparison easier. We can express the numbers with the exponent \(10^4\):
- \(1.23893 \times 10^5 = 12.3893 \times 10^4\)
- \(3.1892 \times 10^4 = 3.1892 \times 10^4\)
- \(1.2786 \times 10^4 = 1.2786 \times 10^4\)
Now we can compare their coefficients:
- \(12.3893\)
- \(3.1892\)
- \(1.2786\)
The smallest of these is \(1.2786\), which corresponds to \(12,786\).
Therefore, the number with the least value among the three given numbers is:
\[ 1.2786 \times 10^4 \]