Introduction to Scientific Notation

6.879 x 10⁶ EXPLANATION- 1. Move the decimal point to the left 6 places until it is after the first digit. (Remember, the first number must be at least 1 but less than 10.) 2. The number of places that you move it becomes the exponent. 3. The exponent is positive because it is a big number. 4. Zeroes at the end are not part of the answer because they were not significant.

0.020 EXPLANATION- 1. Move the decimal point to the left 2 places because negative exponents mean small numbers. 2. Add a zero to fill in the empty loop. 3. Maintain significant figures by keeping the zero on the end.

3.40 x 10^-3 EXPLANATION- 1. Move decimal point to the right 3 places until it is after the first digit. (Remember, the first number must be at least 1 but less than 10.) 2. The number of places that you move it becomes the exponent. 3. The exponent is negative because it is a small number (less than 1). 4. Maintain significant figures by keeping the zero on the end.

1036000 (the bar should really be written OVER the zero) EXPLANATION- 1. Move the decimal point to the right 7 places because positive exponents mean large numbers. 2. Maintain significant figures by writing a bar over the zero right after the 6.

6.00 x 10²
EXPLANATION- 1. Move the decimal point to the left 2 places until it is after the first digit. (Remember, the first number must be at least 1 but less than 10.) 2. The number of places that you move it becomes the exponent. 3. The exponent is positive because it is a big number. 4. Maintain significant figures by keeping the zeroes on the end.

0.0008723 EXPLANATION- 1. Move the decimal point to the left 4 places because negative exponents mean small numbers. 2. Add zeroes to fill in the 3 empty loops.

5600. EXPLANATION- 1. Move the decimal point to the right 3 places because positive exponents mean large numbers. 2. Maintain significant figures by keeping the decimal point at the end.

9.05 x 10⁴ EXPLANATION- 1. Move the decimal point to the left 4 places until it is after the first digit. (Remember, the first number must be at least 1 but less than 10.) 2. The number of places that you move it becomes the exponent. 3. The exponent is positive because it is a big number. 4. Zeroes at the end are not part of the answer because they were not significant.

2.0300 x 10^-6 EXPLANATION- 1. Move decimal point to the right 6 places until it is after the first digit. (Remember, the first number must be at least 1 but less than 10.) 2. The number of places that you move it becomes the exponent. 3. The exponent is negative because it is a small number (less than 1). 4. Maintain significant figures by keeping the zeroes on the end.

8.9300 x 10^-1 EXPLANATION- 1. Move decimal point to the right 1 place until it is after the first digit. (Remember, the first number must be at least 1 but less than 10.) 2. The number of places that you move it becomes the exponent. 3. The exponent is negative because it is a small number (less than 1). 4. Maintain significant figures by keeping the zeroes on the end.

9.208 x 10⁰ EXPLANATION- 1. There is no need to move the decimal point because it is already after the first digit and the number is already smaller than 10 but at least 1. 2. Since you didn't move the decimal point, the exponent is 0.

0.438 EXPLANATION- 1. Move the decimal point to the left 1 place because negative exponents mean small numbers.

5.60 EXPLANATION- 1. Since the exponent is 0, the decimal point does not move. 2. Maintain significant figures by keeping the zero at the end.

28.50 EXPLANATION- 1. Move the decimal point to the right 1 place because positive exponents mean large numbers. 2. Maintain significant figures by keeping the zero at the end.

5.4 x 10¹ EXPLANATION- 1. Move the decimal point to the left 1 place until it is after the first digit. (Remember, the first number must be at least 1 but less than 10.) 2. The number of places that you move it becomes the exponent. 3. The exponent is positive because it is a big number.