How do you go about doing scientific notation?

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How do you go about doing scientific notation?

I know I was "taught" scientific notation sometime during school, but I most likely wasn't paying attention. Could someone just give me an easy to understand in-depth explanation? Thanks!

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Answer 1 · 2017-05-02T03:28:41

Scientific notation is written as one digit to the right of the decimal with the correct number of significant digits multiplied by a power of 10

Explanation:

Scientific notation is dependent on the number of digits that have been experimentally measured.

For example in determining density of a sample when the mass was determined by an electric balance to be 10. 645 grams and the volume was determined by a graduated cylinder to be 2.5 ml Scientific notation must be used.

$D = \frac{M}{V}$ $D = M/V$ so

$D = \frac{10.645}{2.5}$ $D = 10.645/2.5$ which gives

$D = 4.258$ $D = 4.258$ g/ml However the answer in the correct number of significant number is 2 because the volume is measure to only 2 significant digits.

$D = 4.3$ $D = 4.3$ g/ml s
For another example change the mass to 106.45 grams now the density is

$D = \frac{106.45}{2.5} = 42.58$ $D = 106.45/2.5 = 42.58$ g/ml Writing this in scientific notation would be $4.3 \times 10^{1}$ $4.3 xx 10^1$

In scientific notation only one digit is written to the right of the decimal. The value of the digits is indicated by a power of 10

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How do you go about doing scientific notation?

I know I was "taught" scientific notation sometime during school, but I most likely wasn't paying attention. Could someone just give me an easy to understand in-depth explanation? Thanks!

1 Answer

Explanation:

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