Scientific Notation
Definition of Scientific Notation

• Scientific notation is a method of writing numbers as the product of two factors where the first factor is a number greater than or equal to 1 but less than 10 and the second factor is a power of 10.

Examples of Scientific Notation

• The scientific notation of the number 5,300,000 is 5.3 × 10⁶.
• The scientific notation of the number 0.0000000089 is 8.9 × 10^-9.

Solved Example on Scientific Notation

An hour is equal to 3,600 seconds. Write this number in scientific notation.
Choices:
A. 3.6 × 10¹
B. 3.6 × 10³
C. 3.6 × 10²
D. 3.6 × 10^-1
Correct Answer: B
Solution:
Step 1: Scientific notation is a method of writing numbers as the product of two factors where the
first factor is a number greater than or equal to 1 but less than 10 and the second factor is a power of 10.
Step 2: The first factor in the scientific notation of 3,600 is 3.6.    [Move the decimal point to get a factor greater than or equal to 1 and less than 10.]
Step 3: The second factor is 10³.    [The decimal point is moved 3 places to the left. Use this number as the power of 10.]
Step 4: The representation of one hour in scientific notation is 3.6 × 10³ seconds.

Related Terms for Scientific Notation

• Product
• Factor
• Power

Additional Links for Scientific Notation

• Click here for samples
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