Sam is comparing 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 less than that of Uranium-233, and his calculator displayed the number 2.81E4. What is the number in scientific notation?

The number 2.81E4 is already in scientific notation. It can be expressed as 2.81 × 10^4.