1. The problem is to simplify the expression $0.15 \times 10^{-2}$ and write the answer in scientific notation. 2. Recall that scientific notation expresses numbers as $a \times 10^n$ where $1 \leq |a| < 10$ and $n$ is an integer. 3. First, write $0.15$ in scientific notation: $0.15 = 1.5 \times 10^{-1}$. 4. Substitute this into the original expression: $$0.15 \times 10^{-2} = (1.5 \times 10^{-1}) \times 10^{-2}$$ 5. Use the property of exponents: $10^a \times 10^b = 10^{a+b}$. 6. Combine the powers of 10: $$1.5 \times 10^{-1 + (-2)} = 1.5 \times 10^{-3}$$ 7. The number $1.5$ is already between 1 and 10, so this is the final scientific notation. Final answer: $1.5 \times 10^{-3}$