Question

The distance between the sun and Pluto is approximately: 3,600,000,000 miles, how do you write it in scientific notation?

Answer 1

The answer is `3.6xx10^9` miles.

Numbers written in scientific notation include a coefficient that is a non-zero digit between 1 and 9 inclusive, multiplied times a power of base 10.

In order to write `3,600,000,000` in scientific notation, move the decimal point to the left until it is between `3` and `6`. Then count the number of places the decimal moved, which will be the power of 10. Since the decimal was moved to the left, the power of 10 will be positive.

So `3,600,000,000` miles written in scientific notation is `3.6xx10^9` miles.