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: \[ \boxed{8.9987 \times 10^7} \]