Verified Document

Scientific Notation Research Paper

Related Topics:

¶ … scientific notation, its uses and rules for calculations. One example from everyday life: a computer hard disk holds 4 gigabytes of information, that is 4,000,000,000 bytes of information. Written in scientific notation, that is 4 X 109 bytes. Scientific notation is used to write very large and very small numbers. While ordinary numbers are useful for everyday measurements, for large measurements like astronomical distances, scientific notations offers a way of expressing very large and small numbers in a concise way.

Scientific notation is based on powers of ten. Because many large and small numbers consist of just a few integers plus many zeros, the power of ten can be used to shorten the length of the written number.

A number that is...

The first part, the coefficient, is a number between 1 and 10. The second part, the base, is a power of ten. The third part is the exponent, which shows the number of decimal places that the decimal must be moved to change the number to standard notation. A negative exponent means that the decimal is moved to the left when converting a number to standard notation.
The mathematical formula for writing a number in scientific notation is:

n x 10x

where n is a number greater than 1 but less than 10 and x is an exponent of 10.

Follow these steps to convert large and small numbers into scientific notation:

1. Put the decimal after the first digit and drop…

Sources used in this document:
Works Consulted

BookRags. (2011). Scientific notation. Retrieved September 18, 2011 from: http://www.bookrags.com/research/scientific-notation-mmat-04/

Curran, G. (2008). Science help online chemistry. Retrieved September 18, 2011 from: http://www.fordhamprep.org/gcurran/sho/sho/lessons/lesson25.htm
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Algebra the Use of Scientific
Words: 650 Length: 2 Document Type: Discussion Chapter

Those studying physics and astronomy, and perhaps other scientific disciplines as well, are accustomed to the use of scientific shorthand and in some fields it is essential -- the example above of distance between energy waves from supernovae is a good example. There is a high level of variation in these distances, so a shorthand like the one on financial statements would be apply, but the numbers are very

Scientific Revolution, Industrial Revolution, and
Words: 893 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Proposal

The new universe made room for God because the collective mind was opened to the notion of a divine entity controlling all aspects of the universe not just one corner of it. The Industrial Revolution can call Britain "home" (Craig 627) because at the time, Britain was the "single largest free-trade area in Europe" (627). Mechanical inventions spark the beginning of this revolution. In 1769, the spinning jenny was patented,

Metric System -- One of the Reasons
Words: 1185 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Metric System -- One of the reasons measurement can be complicated is that there is more than one system in use. Based on the Ancient Roman system, the metric system is based on powers of 10; which is called decimalization. The metric system has been the preferred European and scientific method of measuring sine the 18th century, but is not part of the International System of Units, which is also

Middle School Mathematics Curriculum and
Words: 1118 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Paper

Students should be able to reflect on the process of problem solving. Reasoning and Proof Students should recognize that proofs are a fundamental aspect of mathematics. Within that understanding, they should develop the ability to select and use various types of mathematical reasoning. Communication The standard calls for students to communicate their mathematical thinking in a coherent and clear way to teachers, peers, and others. Students should be able to express their ideas

Nature's Clocks: How Scientists Measure
Words: 706 Length: 2 Document Type: Research Proposal

It helped lead to more accurate readings of inanimate objects like rocks, too, which helped scientists narrow down the age of the Earth and how it has evolved through time. Macdougall uses many differing sources for his book, as his "notes and further reading" section indicates. He uses books, journal articles, essays, and scientific data, and offers some of that data up in Appendixes in the back of the book.

Black Holes Astronomy Encompasses Vast
Words: 2858 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

The author further explains that the gravity coming from this type of star has to be spherically symmetric. This means that the star should only depend on the distance from the star (Hawley and Holcomb 1998). As a result of this fact, it was not possible to disregard the angular terms (Hawley and Holcomb 1998). Lastly, the star along with its gravitational field do not change with time, this means

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now