Helll fas ! when working with scientific notation what does a negative exponent let you know about the size of the number

The parabola x = y² - 9 opens: a.)up b.)down c.) right d.)left

Precalculus question, image attached.

The map shows the location of the airport and a warehouse in a city. though not displayed on the map, there is also a factory 112 miles due north of the warehouse.a truck traveled from the warehouse to the airport and then to the factory. what is the total number of miles the truck traveled?