Why the decimals are also used in scientific notation?

Answer 1

In scientific notation, the coefficient (number before the base 10) is written such that there is only one digit before the decimal point, and that digit can be 1 to 9. After that, the rest of the number is written after the decimal point, and there is no limit to the number of digits after the decimal point. The exponent on the 10 indicates how many places to move the decimal in order to change the number to standard form. Conversely, when going from standard form to scientific notation, the exponent indicates the number of places to move the decimal to change the number from standard form to scientific notation.

Examples:

1.48762 x 105 = 148762 in standard form

7.593 x 10-3 = 0.007593 in standard form

39732 = 3.9732 x 104 in scientific notation

0.046 = 4.6 x 10-2 in scientific notation