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Scientific Notation

Scientific notation expresses very large or small numbers in a standardized form of a × 10^b, where a is between 1 and 10 and b is the exponent. To convert a number to scientific notation, the decimal is moved to make the coefficient between 1 and 10 and the exponent tracks the decimal places moved. Converting back involves moving the decimal by the exponent. Scientific notation conveniently handles very large and small numbers without writing out zeros and allows for consistent calculations.

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95 views2 pages

Scientific Notation

Scientific notation expresses very large or small numbers in a standardized form of a × 10^b, where a is between 1 and 10 and b is the exponent. To convert a number to scientific notation, the decimal is moved to make the coefficient between 1 and 10 and the exponent tracks the decimal places moved. Converting back involves moving the decimal by the exponent. Scientific notation conveniently handles very large and small numbers without writing out zeros and allows for consistent calculations.

Uploaded by

Dab Dab lit
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Scientific Notation

Scientific notation is a way of expressing numbers that are too large or too small to be conveniently
written in standard decimal notation. It is commonly used in physics, engineering, and other sciences to
represent very large or very small numbers.

In scientific notation, a number is written in the form:

a × 10^b

where a is a number between 1 and 10 (inclusive) and b is an exponent. The exponent tells us how many
times to multiply the number a by 10. For example:

 5.6 × 10^3 = 5.6 × 1000 = 5600

 2.34 × 10^-2 = 2.34 × 0.01 = 0.0234

To express a number in scientific notation, you can follow these steps:

1. Write the number in standard decimal notation.

2. Count the number of places the decimal point needs to be moved to the left or right to make a
coefficient between 1 and 10 (inclusive).

3. Write the coefficient and the exponent of 10.

For example, to express the number 678000 in scientific notation:

1. Write the number in standard decimal notation: 678000

2. Move the decimal point to the left to make the coefficient between 1 and 10: 6.78 × 10^5

3. Write the coefficient and the exponent of 10: 6.78 × 10^5

To express a number in standard decimal notation from scientific notation, you can follow these steps:

1. Write the coefficient in standard decimal notation.

2. Move the decimal point to the right or left by the number of places indicated by the exponent of
10.

For example, to express the number 6.78 × 10^5 in standard decimal notation:

1. Write the coefficient in standard decimal notation: 6.78

2. Move the decimal point to the right by the number of places indicated by the exponent of 10:
678000

Scientific notation is useful because it allows us to easily handle very large or very small numbers
without having to write out a lot of zeros. It is also convenient for making calculations and for expressing
numbers in a consistent form.

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