How does a negative exponent affect the placement of a decimal in scientific notation?

In scientific notation, a negative exponent indicates that the number is less than one. When you have a negative exponent, it shifts the decimal point to the right of the first non-zero digit, effectively making the number smaller. For example, if you have a number like 2.5 x 10^-3, the negative exponent of -3 means you move the decimal point three places to the right, resulting in 0.0025.

This movement reinforces the concept that a negative exponent signifies a division by a power of ten, which inherently reduces the overall value of the number represented in scientific notation. Hence, in this context, the correct understanding is that the decimal moves rightwards due to the negative exponent.