What does the prefix 'hecto' mean in powers of ten?

The prefix "hecto" represents a factor of 10 raised to the power of 2, or 100. This means that in the metric system, "hecto" is used to denote a multiple of one hundred. For example, a hectometer (hm) is equal to 100 meters, and a hectoliter (hL) is equal to 100 liters. Therefore, the correct understanding of the prefix “hecto” is that it refers to the exponent +2 in the powers of ten. This is fundamental in metric unit conversions and understanding the scaling of measurements in scientific contexts.