541 = 5.41 × 10^2
A number in scientific notation has the form N × 10^a
where a is a decimal number called the mantissa and b is an integer called the exponent.
We must have 1 ≤ N < 10
Step 1. Determine the mantissa
Move the decimal place to the left to create a new number between 1 and 10.
541 → 5.41; N = 5.41
Step 2. Determine the exponent.
The exponent is the number of times you moved the decimal to get the mantissa.
You moved the decimal two places to the left, so the exponent a = 2,
Step 3. Write the number in scientific notation
541 = N × 10^a = 5.41 × 10^2