Scientific Notation
Scientific Notation is a way to express very small and very large numbers using exponents, and is useful for brevity and for comparing orders of magnitude between numbers.
To convert a number to scientific notation, it is rewritten to be greater than zero but less than ten multiplied by raised to some exponent.
Simple Examples:
- expressed in scientific notation is .
- expressed in scientific notation is
SI number prefixes are commonly used in lieu of scientific or engineering notation. For example, rather than writing "" (grams), we can write "" (kilograms).
Common large numbers expressed in scientific notation
- Avogadro's number is .
- The charge of an Electron is coulombs.
- A googol is, a one followed by 100 zeros, is
- The speed of light is meters per second.
Video: Introduction to scientific notation
Deeper Knowledge on Scientific Notation
Engineering Notation
Expressions of very large and very small numbers for engineers
Broader Topics Related to Scientific Notation
Science
The most rigorous system of epistemology
International System of Units (SI)
Formal terms and definitions of the metric system
Math
Fun with numbers