Question

what is the value of 59,000 in scientific notation?
5.9 x 10⁴
5.9 x 10⁵
59 x 10³
0.59 x 10⁻⁴
0.59 x 10⁻⁵

Explanation:

To write a number in scientific notation, it should be in the form \(a\times10^{n}\), where \(1\leq|a|\lt10\) and \(n\) is an integer. For 59,000:

1. Move the decimal point 4 places to the left to get \(a = 5.9\) (since \(59000=5.9\times10000\)).
2. \(10000 = 10^{4}\), so \(59000 = 5.9\times10^{4}\).

Checking other options:

• \(5.9\times10^{5}=590000\) (not 59,000).
• \(59\times10^{3}\) has \(a = 59\) which is not between 1 and 10 (exclusive of 10).
• \(0.59\times10^{-4}\) and \(0.59\times10^{-5}\) are for very small numbers, not 59,000.

Answer:

A. \(5.9\times10^{4}\)