Here's how to get there:

1. Move the decimal point: Start at the decimal point in 0.000083 and move it to the right until you have a number between 1 and 10 (in this case, 8.3). You moved the decimal 5 places to the right.

2. Exponent: Since you moved the decimal to the right, the exponent is negative. The number of places you moved the decimal determines the absolute value of the exponent, so it's -5.

3. Combine: You now have 8.3 x 10^-5.