How do you write 38.9 in scientific notation?

Answer 1

To write the number 38.9 in scientific notation, we need to express it in the form \( a \times 10^n \), where \( 1 \leq a < 10 \) and \( n \) is an integer.

1. Move the decimal point in 38.9 so that there is only one non-zero digit to the left of the decimal. This gives us 3.89.
2. After moving the decimal point one place to the left, we need to multiply by \( 10^1 \) to account for the shift.

Therefore, 38.9 in scientific notation is:

\[ 3.89 \times 10^1 \]