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For example, ten to the power -5 is the same as 1 divided by (10 to the power 5).In scientific notation, to expand the number, the negative exponent means that you must move the decimal point the specified number of positions to the LEFT. In the case of a positive exponent, you move the decimal point to the RIGHT, to expand the number.

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9y ago

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It means the number is a very small number. For instance, .00025 will be 2.5 x 10^-4 since .00025 will be a larger number than it really is. I hope this helps :)

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14y ago
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It means that the number is a decimal as for example 1.2*10^-2 = 0.012

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9y ago
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Q: In scientific notation what does a negative exponent mean?
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