Question

the length of a bacterial cell is $2.7 \times 10^{-6}$ m. express the length of the cell in standard form.

the length of the cell is $\square$ m.

Explanation:

Step1: Recall negative exponent rule

For a number in scientific notation \(a\times10^{-n}\) (where \(1\leqslant|a|\lt10\) and \(n\) is a positive integer), \(10^{-n}=\frac{1}{10^{n}}\). So \(10^{-6}=\frac{1}{10^{6}}\).

Step2: Calculate \(10^{6}\)

We know that \(10^{6}=10\times10\times10\times10\times10\times10 = 1000000\).

Step3: Multiply 2.7 by \(\frac{1}{1000000}\)

To multiply a number by \(\frac{1}{1000000}\), we move the decimal point 6 places to the left. For \(2.7\), moving the decimal point 6 places to the left gives \(0.0000027\).

Answer:

\(0.0000027\)