To express the total mileage of 880,000 using an exponent and powers of 10, we need to convert the given number into scientific notation.
Scientific notation is a way of writing numbers that are too large or too small to be conveniently written in decimal form. It is expressed as the product of a number (between 1 and 10) and a power of 10.
Let's follow the steps to convert 880,000 into scientific notation:
1. Identify the significant digits: For 880,000, the significant digits are "88". This is because 880,000 can be represented as 88 followed by four zeros.
2. Place a decimal point to create a number between 1 and 10: Move the decimal point to the left of 88 to get 8.8.
3. Count how many places the decimal point moved: The decimal point moved 5 places to the left (starting from 880,000 to 8.8).
4. Combine the number with the power of 10: The original number can now be written as \( 8.8 \times 10^5 \).
Thus, the total mileage of 880,000 written using an exponent and powers of 10 is:
[tex]\[
(A) \, 8.8 \times 10^5
\][/tex]
Therefore, the correct option is (A) [tex]\( 8.8 \times 10^5 \)[/tex].
