In Exercises 15–30, write each number in scientific notation. -0.00000000504

Key Concepts

Scientific Notation

Scientific notation is a way of expressing numbers that are too large or too small in a compact form. It is written as the product of a number between 1 and 10 and a power of ten. For example, the number 5,000 can be expressed as 5.0 x 10^3. This notation simplifies calculations and comparisons of very large or very small values.

Negative Exponents

Negative exponents indicate that the base number should be divided rather than multiplied. For instance, 10^-3 means 1 divided by 10 raised to the power of 3, which equals 0.001. In scientific notation, negative exponents are often used to represent very small numbers, making it easier to work with them in calculations.

Standard Form Conversion

Converting a number to scientific notation involves identifying the significant figures and determining the appropriate power of ten. For the number -0.00000000504, you would move the decimal point to the right until you have a number between 1 and 10, resulting in -5.04. The number of places moved determines the exponent, which in this case is -9, leading to the scientific notation -5.04 x 10^-9.