The radius of the planet Neptune is approximately 15,300 miles. How is this numbr of miles written in scientific notation?

To express the radius of Neptune (15,300 miles) in scientific notation, we move the decimal point so that there is only one non-zero digit to the left of the decimal point.

15,300 can be written as 1.53 x 10^4, because we moved the decimal point four places to the left.

Therefore, the correct answer is:

1.53 x 10^4

Yes, I'm sure.

To express 15,300 in scientific notation:

1. Identify the significant digits: 1.53 (we take the first significant digit, which is 1, followed by the next digit, which is 5).
2. Move the decimal point in 15,300 to the left until you have a number between 1 and 10. This is done by moving it four places to the left, yielding 1.53.
3. Count how many places you moved the decimal: 4 places.
4. Therefore, we multiply by \(10^{4}\).

Thus, 15,300 miles in scientific notation is correctly expressed as:

1.53 x 10^4

If you have any further questions or need clarification, feel free to ask!