Sam is comparing the half-life of two isotopes of uranium. The half-life of Uranium-238 is 4.5×10^9 years. The half-life of Uranium-233 is 1.6×10^5 years. He computed how much greater the half-life of Uranium-238 is than that of Uranium-233, and his calculator displayed the number 2.81E4. What is this number in scientific notation?
To convert the number 2.81E4 into scientific notation, we need to express it as a number multiplied by a power of 10.
2.81E4 = 2.81 × 10^4
Therefore, the number 2.81E4 in scientific notation is 2.81 × 10^4.