Question

Nitrogen and oxygen are the most abundant gases in Earth’s atmosphere. A nitrogen molecule is 0.00000000003 meters larger than an oxygen molecule.

Which statements describe writing 0.00000000003 in scientific notation? Check all that apply.
The exponent is negative.
The exponent is positive.
The coefficient is 0.3.
The exponent represents the number of places the decimal moves.
The decimal moves to the right.

Answer 1

To convert the number 0.00000000003 into scientific notation, you would write it as \(3.0 \times 10^{-11}\). This means we can evaluate the statements as follows:

1. **The exponent is negative.** - **True** (The exponent is -11.)
2. **The exponent is positive.** - **False** (The exponent is negative.)
3. **The coefficient is 0.3.** - **False** (The coefficient is 3.0.)
4. **The exponent represents the number of places the decimal moves.** - **True** (The exponent represents how many places the decimal moves.)
5. **The decimal moves to the right.** - **False** (In this case, to convert the original number to scientific notation, you move the decimal to the right to get to the 3.0.)

The true statements are: **The exponent is negative, and the exponent represents the number of places the decimal moves.**