To write the number 285,000 in scientific notation, you need to move the decimal point to create a number between 1 and 10. Here's how you can do it step by step:
1. Start with the number 285,000.
2. Move the decimal point to the left until you have a number between 1 and 10. Count how many places you moved the decimal point.
3. In this case, moving the decimal point 5 places to the left gives you 2.85.
4. Write 2.85 as the coefficient.
5. Determine the power of 10 needed by counting the number of places you moved the decimal point to the left. Since you moved it 5 places, the power of 10 is 10^5.
6. Put it all together to write 285,000 in scientific notation: 2.85 x 10^5.
Therefore, the number 285,000 in scientific notation is 2.85 x 10^5.
