Expert: Sherman D. - 7/21/2005

Question
How do you represent the following percentages, using to-the-power-of concept? %99.999999999999... moving towards infinite number of 9s. as well as %0.000000000001 moving towards infinite number of 0s. I am reasonably certain that I will represent the later using 10 to the minus infinity.

Answer
if you are talking about

99.99999999999%, then the answer is 9.9999 * 10^n where as "n" is an infinite number, also when doing repeating numbers, in high school, we were told to but a line over the number that repeats.

like this
''____
9.9999 * 10^(n + 1)

here's why

99.9999% = .999999 * 10^2 or in this case 9.9999 * 10^1

The '' is just to try and keep my answer from being left aligned.

I couldn't be wrong about the 10^(n + 1) part, but the rest is correct.

-----------------------------------------------------------

.0000000001% =
1.0 * 10^(-n - 2)

here's why

.01 = 10^-2
.001 = 10^-3
.0001 = 10^-4
'___
.0001 = 10^-n

The reason why you don't have to worry about ____ over 000s in 1.0 * 10^(-n - 2), is because the 0s are in front instead of after, so you don't have to worry about those.

If it wasn't for the