# What is 39,600,000 written in scientific notation?

May 15, 2018

The final answer is $3.96 \cdot {10}^{7}$.

#### Explanation:

Scientific notation is a useful way to express very large or very small numbers more concisely.

To convert a number to scientific notation, there are a few steps we must perform.

1. Significant Figures
We must determine how many significant figures the number has. In this case, the answer is three: $3$, $9$, and $6$.
2. Total Numbers $- 1$
Next, we must count the total amount of numbers and subtract $1$. In this case, there are $8$ total numbers and $8 - 1 = 7$. This will give us the value of the exponent in the scientific notation.

3. Positive or Negative Exponent
We must then determine whether the exponent in the scientific notation will be positive or negative. In this case, the zeros are to the right of the significant figures, so the exponent is positive.

We can now construct the final answer. The three significant figures are first, with a decimal after the first digit. Then, they are multiplied by $10$, raised to an exponent following the rules above.
$3.96 \cdot {10}^{7}$