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ESO Y4B · Mathematics
Numbers · Powers, roots and logarithms

Scientific notation

The mass of the Earth is $5\,970\,000\,000\,000\,000\,000\,000\,000$ kg. The mass of an electron is $0{,}00000000000000000000000000000091$ kg. No scientist writes this out counting every zero by hand: they use powers of $10$. It is the standard language for working with astronomical or subatomic scales without losing a single digit.

Before you start, make sure you know: Operations with powers (3rd ESO)
Before you start, make sure you know: Operations with decimal numbers (2nd ESO)

What scientific notation is

Explore the scales of the universe, from the atom to the galaxy, all on the same logarithmic line:

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Write the following decimal numbers in standard form: a) $450 000 000$ b) $0,000000032$ c) $12 500$ d) $0,000105$

Write the following decimal numbers in standard form:

  1. a) $450 000 000$
  2. b) $0,000000032$
  3. c) $12 500$
  4. d) $0,000105$
Solve
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State which of the following numbers are not correctly written in standard form and write them correctly: a) $45,2 \cdot 10^3$ b) $0,8 \cdot 10^{-2}$ c) $3,1 \cdot 10^5$…

State which of the following numbers are not correctly written in standard form and write them correctly:

  1. a) $45,2 \cdot 10^3$
  2. b) $0,8 \cdot 10^{-2}$
  3. c) $3,1 \cdot 10^5$
  4. d) $12 \cdot 10^{-4}$
Solve

Converting between scientific notation and decimal

The exponent counts how many places the decimal point moves.

Diagram of the movement of the decimal point: eight places to the left is equivalent to $10^8$ and seven places to the right is equivalent to $10^{-7}$. 1 4 9 6 0 0 0 0 0 , 8 places to the left → 10⁸ = 1,496 · 10⁸ 0 , 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 7 places to the right → 10⁻⁷ = 1,2 · 10⁻⁷
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Express the following numbers given in standard form as ordinary decimals: a) $3,4 \cdot 10^5$ b) $1,89 \cdot 10^{-4}$ c) $7 \cdot 10^8$ d) $5,02 \cdot 10^{-6}$

Express the following numbers given in standard form as ordinary decimals:

  1. a) $3,4 \cdot 10^5$
  2. b) $1,89 \cdot 10^{-4}$
  3. c) $7 \cdot 10^8$
  4. d) $5,02 \cdot 10^{-6}$
Solve
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Determine the order of magnitude (the closest power of $10$) of the following quantities expressed in standard form: a) $4,8 \cdot 10^6$ b) $1,1 \cdot 10^{-5}$ c)…

Determine the order of magnitude (the closest power of $10$) of the following quantities expressed in standard form:

  1. a) $4,8 \cdot 10^6$
  2. b) $1,1 \cdot 10^{-5}$
  3. c) $9,2 \cdot 10^{12}$
  4. d) $2,5 \cdot 10^{-8}$
Solve

Comparing and ordering

The exponent comes first. Only if the exponents are the same do you compare the mantissas.

Comparison of numbers in scientific notation, first analysing the exponent of the power of ten and, if the exponents are equal, the mantissa. 10³10⁴10⁵10⁶ 1,5·10⁴ 3,2·10⁴ same exponent (4): compare the mantissa logarithmic scale: each mark is ×10
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Order the following numbers written in standard form from smallest to largest: $A = 3,2 \cdot 10^4$ $B = 4,1 \cdot 10^{-3}$ $C = 1,5 \cdot 10^4$ $D = 8,9 \cdot 10^{-4}$…

Order the following numbers written in standard form from smallest to largest:

$A = 3,2 \cdot 10^4$

$B = 4,1 \cdot 10^{-3}$

$C = 1,5 \cdot 10^4$

$D = 8,9 \cdot 10^{-4}$

$E = 2 \cdot 10^5$

Solve

Operating in scientific notation

Procedure for multiplying numbers in scientific notation: product of the mantissas, sum of the exponents of base ten and final adjustment. (6 · 108) · (4 · 10−3) = 24 · 105 = 2,4 · 106 mantissas:are multipliedpowers:exponents are added

Multiplying and dividing: the mantissas and the powers of $10$ are handled separately, adding or subtracting the exponents; at the end, the mantissa is adjusted if it falls outside $[1,10)$.

Adding and subtracting: the powers of $10$ must be the same; if they are not, make them the same first.

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Perform the following multiplications by grouping the numbers and the powers of base $10$. Express the final result in standard form: a)…

Perform the following multiplications by grouping the numbers and the powers of base $10$. Express the final result in standard form:

  1. a) $(3 \cdot 10^4) \cdot (2 \cdot 10^5)$
  2. b) $(4 \cdot 10^{-3}) \cdot (2 \cdot 10^{-4})$
  3. c) $(5 \cdot 10^6) \cdot (3 \cdot 10^{-2})$
Solve
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Calculate the following additions and subtractions with different exponents, first adjusting the powers of $10$ so that they match. Express the answer in standard form:…

Calculate the following additions and subtractions with different exponents, first adjusting the powers of $10$ so that they match. Express the answer in standard form:

  1. a) $3,5 \cdot 10^6 + 4,2 \cdot 10^5$
  2. b) $7,1 \cdot 10^{-4} - 5 \cdot 10^{-5}$
Solve
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Solve the following combined operation respecting the order of operations and give the final result in standard form:…

Solve the following combined operation respecting the order of operations and give the final result in standard form:

$\frac{(4,2 \cdot 10^5) \cdot (2 \cdot 10^{-3})}{3 \cdot 10^4}$

Solve

Applications and combined problems

Procedure for adding or subtracting in scientific notation, first making the exponents of the powers of ten the same before operating on the mantissas. (2,5·10⁴)·x + 3·10⁵ = 1,8·10⁶ (2,5·10⁴)·x = 1,5·10⁶ x = 1,5·10⁶ / 2,5·10⁴ = 60
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The mean distance from the Earth to the Sun is about $1,5 \cdot 10^8$ km and the speed of light in a vacuum is $3 \cdot 10^5$ km/s. Using the formula for uniform motion…

The mean distance from the Earth to the Sun is about $1,5 \cdot 10^8$ km and the speed of light in a vacuum is $3 \cdot 10^5$ km/s. Using the formula for uniform motion in a straight line ($t = \frac{d}{v}$), how many seconds does it take for sunlight to reach the Earth? Express the answer in standard form and then convert it to minutes.

Solve
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Set up and solve the following linear equation in which the coefficients are expressed in standard form. Rearrange for the unknown $x$ and express its value in standard…

Set up and solve the following linear equation in which the coefficients are expressed in standard form. Rearrange for the unknown $x$ and express its value in standard form:

$(2,5 \cdot 10^4) \cdot x + 3 \cdot 10^5 = 1,8 \cdot 10^6$

Solve
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Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation states that the gravitational force between two bodies is given by $F = G \frac{m_1 \cdot m_2}{d^2}$. Knowing that the…

Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation states that the gravitational force between two bodies is given by $F = G \frac{m_1 \cdot m_2}{d^2}$.

Knowing that the gravitational constant is $G = 6,67 \cdot 10^{-11}$ $N \cdot m^2/kg^2$, the mass of the Earth is $m_1 = 5,97 \cdot 10^{24}$ kg, the mass of the Moon is $m_2 = 7,35 \cdot 10^{22}$ kg and the mean distance between their centres is $d = 3,84 \cdot 10^8$ m, calculate the gravitational force $F$ in Newtons ($N$). Express the result in standard form rounded to two decimal places.

Solve
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A glass contains exactly $18$ grams of pure water ($H_2O$). In chemistry, it is known that $18$ grams are equivalent to $1$ mol of water and that $1$ mol of any…

A glass contains exactly $18$ grams of pure water ($H_2O$). In chemistry, it is known that $18$ grams are equivalent to $1$ mol of water and that $1$ mol of any substance contains Avogadro's Number ($6,022 \cdot 10^{23}$) of molecules. From these data, calculate the mass in kilograms of a single molecule of water. Express the final result in standard form.

Solve

Back to the beginning: The mass of the Earth in scientific notation is $5{,}97 \cdot 10^{24}$ kg and the mass of the electron is $9{,}1 \cdot 10^{-31}$ kg.

Summary

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