Scientific Notation Helping us write really tiny or really big numbers

What is Scientific Notation? A shorter way to write very large or very small numbers. an ordinary penny contains about 20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 atoms. The average size of an atom is about centimeters across Scientific Notation looks like 3 x 10 -8

Writing Scientific Notation Look at original number. - If it’s a Small Number – Your exponent will be negative. (ex ) - If it’s a Large Number – Your exponent will be positive. (ex. 45,200,000,000)

Steps: 1. Move decimal to get a number between 1 and ,300,000  LARGE NUMBER: Write a positive exponent, equal to the # of places you moved the decimal x 10 7 Standard Form to Scientific Notation (Large Number)

Standard Form to Scientific Notation (small number) Steps: 1. Move decimal to get a number between 1 and  SMALL NUMBER: Write a negative exponent, equal to the # of places you moved the decimal x 10 -4

Write in Scientific Notation Write the width of the universe in scientific notation. 210,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles

Scientific Notation to Standard Form Steps: 1. Determine if your number will be large or small 1. It will be a Small number: 1. If exponent is negative; then 2. Move decimal to the left 2. It will be a Large number: 1. If exponent is positive; then 2. Move decimal to the right

1.8 x x ,580,000 Write in Standard Form

Great reference: Use “Basic Scientific Notation” PPS file khood/the_lunchbox.cfm?subpage= khood/the_lunchbox.cfm?subpage=3863 0