Visible blue light has a wavelength of about 0.0000475 centimeters.

Question

What is this measurement written in scientific notation?
A.
4.75 × 10^5 centimeters
B.
4.75 × 10^4 centimeters
C.
4.75 × 10^-5 centimeters
D.
4.75 × 10^-4 centimeters

Answer 1

To write the measurement of 0.0000475 centimeters in scientific notation, we need to move the decimal point to the right until we have a number between 1 and 10.

Moving the decimal point 5 places to the right gives us: 4.75

Since we moved the decimal 5 places to the right, we must subtract 5 from the exponent. Thus, it becomes:

4.75 × 10^-5 centimeters.

So, the correct answer is: C. \(4.75 \times 10^{-5}\) centimeters.