China has a population of approximately \( 1,322,000,000 \) people. Express this number in scientific notation. (1 point) \( 1.322 \times 10^{6} \) \( 1.322 \times 10^{9} \) \( 1.322 \times 10^{-6} \) \( 1.322 \times 10^{8} \) \( 1.322 \times 10^{-9} \)

To express the population of China in scientific notation, you first want to place the decimal point after the first non-zero digit. For \( 1,322,000,000 \), that gives us \( 1.322 \). Since there are 9 digits after the decimal point, we write this as \( 1.322 \times 10^{9} \). Many people find the concept of scientific notation helpful for handling very large or very small numbers more easily. It simplifies calculations, especially in fields such as science and engineering, where such figures are commonly encountered. For example, in physics, the distance between stars and the size of atoms often require expressed numbers in scientific notation to manage their vast differences effectively!