Bright Hub Education

Bright Hub Education

  • Teaching Tools
    • Teaching Tools
    • Classroom Management
    • Education Industry
    • Student Assessment Tools
    • Teaching Methods
  • Preschool and Early Ed
    • Preschool and Early Ed
    • Infant Development
    • Parenting Tips and Advice
    • Preschool Crafts and Activities
    • Preschool Lesson Plans and Theme
    • Preschool Teaching Strategies
    • Toddler Activities and Ideas
  • Elementary School
    • Elementary School
    • Grade School Activities
    • Lesson Plans for Pre-K and K
    • Lesson Plans: Grades 1 - 2
    • Lesson Plans: Grades 3 - 5
    • Parenting Grade Schoolers
    • Teaching Younger Students
  • Middle School
    • Middle School
    • English Lessons: Grades 6-8
    • History Lessons: Grades 6-8
    • Math Lessons: Grades 6-8
    • Parenting Preteens and Tweens
    • Science Lessons: Grades 6-8
    • Social Studies: Grades 6-8
    • Teaching Middle Schoolers
    • The Arts: Grades 6-8
  • More
    • High School(7)
    • Homework Help(20)
    • Special Ed(11)
    • More Areas(4)
More
High School (7)
Homework Help (20)
Special Ed (11)
More Areas (4)
English Lessons: Grades 9-12
High School Teaching Tips
History Lessons: Grades 9-12
Math Lessons: Grades 9-12
Parenting Teens
Science Lessons: Grades 9-12
The Arts: Grades 9-12
English Help
Geography Facts
Help with German
Help with Latin
Help with Writing
History Help
Language Learning Strategies
Learning Chinese
Learning French
Learning Italian
Learning Japanese
Learning Spanish
Literature Study Guides
Math Facts
Miscellaneous Languages
Science Homework Help
Science Projects
Social Studies Help
Study and Learning Tips
Test Preparation
Behavioral Disorders
Gifted and Exceptional St...
Hearing Impairments
IDEA, IEPs and The Law
Inclusion Strategies
Learning Disorders
Neurological Disorders
Physical Disabilities
Special Ed: Parent Perspe...
Speech Disorders
Visual Impairments
Homeschooling Advice
Summer Learning
Teaching a Second Language
Teaching ESL Learners
Homework Help
    Skip to content
    768

    How to Use Scientific Notation

    Help with Math Homework / By Kathy Foust / Homework Help & Study Guides

    The Powers of Ten

    Scientific notation is also known as powers-of-10 notation. Often in science large and very small numbers are used, and the concept of significant figures is applied so that the answer can be understood without every number actually being written out. However, sometimes just looking at these numbers can be quite confusing. Some examples of scientific notation are written below.

    • 103
    • 10-3

    Scientific notation will always be used in relation to multiplying a number by ten. Here are some extended examples of this method

    • 2.3 x 103
    • 2.3 x 10-3

    Read the next section to find out the specifics of scientific notation and how it helps you with significant figures.

    Use of Exponents

    Scientific notation can either be used to express very large or very small numbers. The size of the number is expressed by the power of the number. Positive powers are used to express large numbers while negative powers are used to express small numbers. The power of the number tells you how many zeros are after or before the decimal point.

    For example, 104 is actually 10 x 10 x 10 x 10= 10,000

    In contrast, 10-4 is actually 1/104 = 1/10,000 = 0.0001

    In both instances, the power shows you how many zeros are involved in the number. The small number expressed to the right of the 10 is called an exponent.

    To use scientific notation as a significant number, you first would have to know what the significant figure is. Below is an example of this process.

    Express the answer to the following problem using significant terms and scientific notation.

    3520 x 100

    We know the significant amount of numbers in the answer is going to be 3 because 100 is the number with the smallest amount of significant numbers in it. Now we work the problem out.

    3520 x 100 = 352000: Since we only need 3 significant numbers in our answer, we use scientific notation to reduce the amount of numbers in our answer. Therefore, the answer would be 352 x 103

    Now let's try the problem using negative powers.

    352 x .000001: Again, we can see that we need 3 significant numbers in our answer because the smallest amount of numbers in this equation is 3.

    352 x .000001= 0.00352 Now we need to use powers of ten to reduce the amount of numbers in the answer.

    352 x 10-5 is the answer.

    Notice that all you really did was move the decimal to the left 5 spaces. This is the easiest way to remember how to use the powers of ten. All you are actually doing is moving the decimal point however many places expressed by the power written. You know whether to move it left or right by whether or not the power is negative or positive. If the number is negative as in 10-2, then you would move the decimal point over to the left 2 places. 102 means that you would move the decimal point to the right 2 places.

    Post navigation

    ← Previous Post
    Next Post →
    Copyright © 2019 Bright Hub Education. All Rights Reserved.
    About | Copyright Policy | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

    Search

    More Info

    Recent

    • Real World Examples Help You Understand and Apply Fractions
    • Step-By-Step Guide to Long Division: Remember all the Steps
    • A Table of Contents for Tips and Help With Fractions Homework
    • Guide for Help with Addition and Subtraction for Elementary Students
    • An Elementary Math Operation Cheat Sheet With Problem Examples For Each Operation
    • How to Estimate Answers to Math Problems Quickly: The Key to Estimation

    Popular Pages

    • Home
    © brighthubeducation.com. All rights reserved.
    • Privacy Policy