How do you write #3.6 times 10^-5# in standard form?

2 Answers
Mar 9, 2018

0.000036

Explanation:

When multiplying a number by 10 to the power of a positive exponent (e.g. #10^3#), move the decimal in the number that many spaces to the right (e.g. #4.5 * 10^3 = 4500#).
When multiplying a number by 10 to the power of a negative exponent (e.g. #10^-4#), move the decimal in the number (the absolute value of) that many spaces to the left (e.g. #4.5 * 10^-4 = 0.00045#).
For #3.6 * 10^-5#, move the decimal five spaces to the left:
0.000036

Mar 9, 2018

0.000036

Explanation:

The standard form is just the normal method of depicting a number. To get from scientific notation to standard form, you would multiply the number from the scientific notation by the increasing / decreasing factor (#10^n#). When the factor decreases, the 10 is raised to a negative power and the decimal moves to the left n amount of times (example the #10^-5# moves your decimal in 3.6 over to the left 5 times leaving you with 0.000036). The opposite is true for increasing factors.