In scientific notation, what is the term used for the numbering system of the reference number?

In scientific notation, the term that refers to the primary part of the number is known as the base number. Scientific notation is typically expressed in the form ( N \times 10^n ), where ( N ) is the base number and ( n ) is the exponent that indicates the power of ten by which the base number is multiplied. The base number effectively determines the value that is being represented and can be a decimal number, typically between 1 and 10.

The exponent represents the scale or size of the number, indicating how many places to move the decimal point, while significant figures relate to the precision of the number, and magnitude typically describes the size of the number in terms of order of magnitude but does not specifically refer to any part of the notation itself. Understanding these distinctions helps clarify how scientific notation operates and aids in numerical representation in scientific contexts.