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Reasoning  Is 24 times 10 Superscript negative 8 in scientific​ notation? If​ not, explain. Use pencil and paper. Explain why 10 is used as the base in the second scientific notation factor.
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Part 1
Choose the correct answer below.
A.
​No, it is not in scientific notation. The number is not written as a product of 2 factors.
B.
​No, it is not in scientific notation. The second factor is not a power of 10.
C.
​No, it is not in scientific notation. The first factor is not less than 10.
D.
The number is in scientific notation

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
C.

Scientific notation requires the number be written as a × 10^n with 1 ≤ |a| < 10. Here the first factor is 24, which is not less than 10, so 24 × 10^(-8) is not in proper scientific notation.

You can convert it to scientific notation:
24 × 10^(-8) = (2.4 × 10^1) × 10^(-8) = 2.4 × 10^(1−8) = 2.4 × 10^(-7),
and now 2.4 is between 1 and 10.

Why base 10? Because we use the decimal (base‑10) number system, and multiplying by 10^n shifts the decimal point n places. Scientific notation uses powers of 10 to compactly represent very large or small decimal numbers. (If you worked in another base you would use that base’s powers instead.)