To express the number 540,000 in scientific notation, we need to write it in the form of a × 10n, where a is a number greater than or equal to 1 and less than 10, and n is an integer.
1. First, we identify where to place the decimal point in 540,000. Moving the decimal point 5 places to the left gives us 5.4.
2. Since we moved the decimal point 5 places, this corresponds to multiplying by 10 raised to the power of 5.
Thus, we can express 540,000 as:
5.4 × 105
Now, let’s compare this with the given options:
- a) 0.54 × 106
- b) 5.4 × 105
- c) 54 × 108
- d) 5.4 × 105
The correct answer is b) 5.4 × 105 and also d) 5.4 × 105 since they are the same. Therefore, according to scientific notation conventions, 5.4 × 105 accurately represents 540,000.