Scientific Notation
Learning Objectives
- Convert standard notation to scientific notation
- Convert from scientific to standard notation
- Apply scientific notation in an application


Working with small numbers is similar. Take, for example, the radius of an electron, 0.00000000000047 m. Perform the same series of steps as above, except move the decimal point to the right.

A General Note: Scientific Notation
A number is written in scientific notation if it is written in the form , where and is an integer.Example: Converting Standard Notation to Scientific Notation
Write each number in scientific notation.- Distance to Andromeda Galaxy from Earth: 24,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 m
- Diameter of Andromeda Galaxy: 1,300,000,000,000,000,000,000 m
- Number of stars in Andromeda Galaxy: 1,000,000,000,000
- Diameter of electron: 0.00000000000094 m
- Probability of being struck by lightning in any single year: 0.00000143
Answer:
Analysis of the Solution
Observe that, if the given number is greater than 1, as in examples a–c, the exponent of 10 is positive; and if the number is less than 1, as in examples d–e, the exponent is negative.Try It
Write each number in scientific notation.- U.S. national debt per taxpayer (April 2014): $152,000
- World population (April 2014): 7,158,000,000
- World gross national income (April 2014): $85,500,000,000,000
- Time for light to travel 1 m: 0.00000000334 s
- Probability of winning lottery (match 6 of 49 possible numbers): 0.0000000715
Answer:
- $1.52\times {10}^{5}
- $8.55\times {10}^{13}
Converting from Scientific to Standard Notation
To convert a number in scientific notation to standard notation, simply reverse the process. Move the decimal places to the right if is positive or places to the left if is negative and add zeros as needed. Remember, if is positive, the value of the number is greater than 1, and if is negative, the value of the number is less than one.Example: Converting Scientific Notation to Standard Notation
Convert each number in scientific notation to standard notation.Answer:
Try It
Convert each number in scientific notation to standard notation.Answer:
Example: Applying Scientific Notation to Solve Problems
In April 2014, the population of the United States was about 308,000,000 people. The national debt was about $17,547,000,000,000. Write each number in scientific notation, rounding figures to two decimal places, and find the amount of the debt per U.S. citizen. Write the answer in both scientific and standard notations.Answer: The population was . The national debt was . To find the amount of debt per citizen, divide the national debt by the number of citizens.
The debt per citizen at the time was about , or $57,000.
Try It
An average human body contains around 30,000,000,000,000 red blood cells. Each cell measures approximately 0.000008 m long. Write each number in scientific notation and find the total length if the cells were laid end-to-end. Write the answer in both scientific and standard notations.Answer: Number of cells: ; length of a cell: m; total length: m or m.