Which measurement would be least likely to be written in scientific notation?
A. The thickness of a dog hair
B. The radius of a period on this page
C. The ounces in a cup of milk
Explain.
Answer (3)
Scientific notation is either used for very large or extremely small numbers. Typically, a number such as 9000 isn't written in scientific notation, although it is possible.
First, we must assess the size of our options and pick either the largest or the smallest: thickness of dog hair - this is be very, very small as hair is thin *radius of a period on this page * - this will also be pretty small, although most likely bigger than the dog hair *the ounces in a cup of milk *- there are 8 ounces in a cup, so this is definitely not the answer
The thickness of a dog hair is the smallest out of everything, so that is the answer.
**The answer would be: the ounces in a cup of milk. **
Scientific notation is used to express measurements that are very small or very large. It makes bigger or smaller numbers easier to read.
So among the choices, the LEAST likely measurement would be ounces in a cup of milk because the value is neither too small or too large.
In one cup there are 8 ounces. The number 8 isn't exactly too small or too large and is very easy to read for anyone who is analyzing it.
The measurement least likely to be written in scientific notation is C, the ounces in a cup of milk, since it is a simple whole number (8) that is easy to understand. In contrast, the thickness of a dog hair and the radius of a period are both quite small, making scientific notation a more practical choice. Therefore, measurement C is the least suitable for scientific notation.
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