Answered step by step
Verified Expert Solution
Link Copied!

Question

1 Approved Answer

Why write numbers in scientific notation Understanding physics will help you describe in great detail how the world works. However, the characteristics of the world

image text in transcribedimage text in transcribedimage text in transcribed
Why write numbers in scientific notation Understanding physics will help you describe in great detail how the world works. However, the characteristics of the world span an enormous range of numbers. The mass of an electron is 0.00000000 0000 0 0000 000000000000 0911 kg (incredibly tiny!). The mass of the Sun is 1,989,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg (incredibly massive!). If you had to write, interpret, or use these numbers as written, you could very easily end up making a minor math error. Scientific notation was invented to easily express numbers that are too large or too small to be conveniently written in decimal form. The advantages of scientific notation are it 1) is compact, 2) helps articulate significant figures, and 3) works with numbers of any size. The traditional format for numbers written in scientific notation is m x 10" is where m is a number between 1 and 10 and n is an integer (either positive or negative). For the examples above, the mass of an electron can be written as 9.11 x10- kg and the mass of the Sun can be written as 1.989 x 1030 kg.Converting decimals to scientific notation A day has 86,400 second (s). Notice that the decimal point is to the far right of the number. The first part of scientific notation is a number between 1 and 10. Move the decimal point to the left to obtain 8.64, which equals m in our traditional notation. The value for n is given by the number of places the decimal point was moved from its location in 86,400 to 8.64. Thus, 86,400 s = 8.64 x 104 s. Because the decimal was moved four places to the left (and the value is larger than 1), the exponent is a positive integer. If you had a very precise clock, you could write this as 8.640 x 104 s, or 8.6400 x 104 s. The number of digits you keep in the first part of the notation describes the precision of your value and determines the number of significant digits. As another example, the fastest glacier in the world has an average speed of 0.0012 mile/hour. The first part of scientific notation is a number between 1 and 10. Move the decimal point to the right to obtain 1.2, which equals m in our traditional notation. The value for n is given by the number of places the decimal point was moved from its location in 0.0012 to 1.2. Thus, 0.0012 mile/hour = 1.2 x10- mile/hour. Because the decimal was moved three places to the right, and the value is smaller than 1, the exponent is a negative integer.is written in scientific notation: 0.0000451 T. Enter m and n, separated by commas. View Available Hint(s) VO AEd ? m, n=

Step by Step Solution

There are 3 Steps involved in it

Step: 1

blur-text-image

Get Instant Access to Expert-Tailored Solutions

See step-by-step solutions with expert insights and AI powered tools for academic success

Step: 2

blur-text-image

Step: 3

blur-text-image

Ace Your Homework with AI

Get the answers you need in no time with our AI-driven, step-by-step assistance

Get Started

Recommended Textbook for

Proofs And Fundamentals A First Course In Abstract Mathematics

Authors: Ethan D Bloch

2nd Edition

1441971270, 9781441971272

More Books

Students also viewed these Mathematics questions

Question

13. Give four examples of psychological Maginot lines.

Answered: 1 week ago