Question

Use scientific notation to determine which of these numbers has the least value: 98,789,000, 987,890,000, 89,987,000. Write your answer in scientific notation, expressed to the exact decimal place

Answer 1

To express these numbers in scientific notation, we convert them as follows:

1. **98,789,000**:
\[
98,789,000 = 9.8789 \times 10^7
\]

2. **987,890,000**:
\[
987,890,000 = 9.8789 \times 10^8
\]

3. **89,987,000**:
\[
89,987,000 = 8.9987 \times 10^7
\]

Now, we can compare the scientific notation values:

- \(9.8789 \times 10^7\)
- \(9.8789 \times 10^8\)
- \(8.9987 \times 10^7\)

To compare them, we can align them by their powers of ten:

- \(9.8789 \times 10^7\) (which is \(9.8789\))
- \(9.8789 \times 10^8\) (which is \(98.789\), since \(10^8\) is larger)
- \(8.9987 \times 10^7\) (which is \(8.9987\))

Now we can clearly see that \(8.9987 < 9.8789\) and \(9.8789 < 98.789\).

Therefore, the number with the least value is:
\[
\boxed{8.9987 \times 10^7}
\]