Transcript Scientific Notation Introduction

Scientific Notation
What is scientific notation?
• It is a method that scientists use to
express very large and very small
numbers.
• We use exponents with a base of 10 to
express place value.
Remember…
2
100 = 10 3
1,000 = 104
10,000 = 10
7
10,000,000 = 10 11
100,000,000,000 = 10
Strategy for Large Numbers
• Place a decimal point after the first digit.
• The nonzero part of the expression will be
called the coefficient. The coefficient will
always be between 1 and 10.
• Count the number of spaces it takes to get
to the end of the number.
• That number of spaces will be the exponent
for the base of 10.
Example – Write 93,000,000
in
scientific
notation.
9.3 is the
coefficient.
9.3 0 0 0 0 0 0
It takes 7 spaces to get to the end.
7
9.3 x 10
Strategy for Small Numbers
• Place the decimal point after the first
nonzero digit.
• The nonzero part will be the
coefficient.
• Count the spaces between your new
decimal point and the original one.
• The number of spaces you moved back
will be your negative exponent.
Example – Write 0.0000023 in
scientific notation.
0. 0 0 0 0 0 2.3
2.3 is the
coefficient.
There are 6 spaces between the new decimal
point and the old one.
2.3 x 10
-6
The negative exponent
shows us that we are going
left on the number line.
Homework Time!