Final answer:
The number 59.7365 x 10^-78 expressed in scientific notation is 5.97365 x 10^-77, keeping all significant figures and adjusting the exponent to reflect the decimal point shift.
Step-by-step explanation:
To express the number 59.7365 x 10-78 in scientific notation, we must write it as a number between 1 and 10 multiplied by a power of 10. Moving the decimal place to the right of the leading non-zero digit gives us the rewritten form of the number as 5.97365, and because we moved the decimal 1 place to the left, we need to adjust the exponent on 10 by 1 to maintain the balance.
Hence, the exponent changes from -78 to -77 (since -78 + 1 = -77). The scientific notation of the number is 5.97365 x 10-77. It's crucial to retain all significant figures when converting to scientific notation, as each digit contributes to the precision and accuracy of the number.