Convert 125000 to scientific notation.

Convert 125000 to scientific notation.

• A. 1.25 × 10^6
• B. 12.5 × 10^4
• C. 0.125 × 10^6
• D. 1.25 × 10^5

Answer: (D)

Writing in scientific notation means expressing a number as a × 10^n with a between 1 and 10. To convert 125000, place the decimal so the number is between 1 and 10: that gives 1.25. Move the decimal five places to the left, so the exponent is 5 (since 10^5 = 100,000). Therefore 1.25 × 10^5 equals 125,000. Forms with a coefficient outside the 1–10 range or with an incorrect exponent don’t fit the standard format.

Writing in scientific notation means expressing a number as a × 10^n with a between 1 and 10. To convert 125000, place the decimal so the number is between 1 and 10: that gives 1.25. Move the decimal five places to the left, so the exponent is 5 (since 10^5 = 100,000). Therefore 1.25 × 10^5 equals 125,000. Forms with a coefficient outside the 1–10 range or with an incorrect exponent don’t fit the standard format.