Converting between Decimal and Scientific Notation

• Scientific Notation means representing a really huge or really tiny number with its significant digits shown as a number
less than 10 which is multiplying with 10 to whatever power would produce the actual number. The purpose is to avoid
having to write lots of zeroes after a number that is huge or in front of a number that is tiny.
• Calculator presentation for scientific notation takes a shortcut because it has limited display space. It will display the
significant digits, the symbol E, and the exponent for 10.
• Numbers larger than 10 will use positive exponents for 10 in scientific notation.
• Numbers including 1 and up to, but not including, 10 will use 0 for the exponent.
• Numbers less than 1 will use negative exponents for 10 in scientific notation.

Converting to scientific notation involves

1. Writing the number with its decimal so that only one digit
is to its left.
2. Write “x 10.”
3. Calculate the exponent for 10 that is necessary so that the
multiplication will produce the correct number.

(Easy secret: count the number of spaces the decimal would

have to move, and that’s your exponent.)

Calculator notation shows the significant digits with the

decimal after the first digit. Then comes a symbol E followed
by the exponent for 10. It does this because it has limited
space.

Note: Do NOT write your answers as the calculator does.

People won’t like it because it doesn’t portray the entire
multiplication problem that the notation represents.

For small numbers, the exponent will be negative. Any time

you want the decimal to move to the left of where it is in the
scientific notation, the exponent for 10 will be negative
because you are having to multiply by numbers that will make
your base smaller.

Remember: 10-1 = 1/10 and 10-2 = 1/100, so you can see

how multiplying by these fractions less than 1 would make
any number smaller.

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 Exponents and Polynomials

An Application of Exponents: Scientific Notation

Key concepts
• Learn to use exponents to write numbers in scientific notation and to make calculations with numbers written in scientific
notation.
Key terms
• Scientific notation is a method of writing very large or very small numbers by using powers of 10.

Scientific notation is a method for writing a number as the product of a number and a power of 10, a × 10n. Numbers that are
between 0 and 1 are written in scientific notation using negative powers of 10. Numbers that are greater than 10 are written
in scientific notation using positive powers of 10.

Example 1
In Example 1, numbers written in standard form are converted to scientific notation.
A positive number is written in scientific notation, a × 10n, if the value of a is greater than or equal to 1, but less than 10. To
write a positive number in scientific notation, first determine the value of a. Move the decimal point in the number until the
result is a number greater than or equal to 1, but less than 10. In other words, move the decimal point until there is only one
nonzero digit remaining to the left of the decimal point; this number is the value of a. Then, determine n, the exponent of 10.
The exponent is given by the number of places that the decimal point was moved and by the direction in which it was moved.
If the decimal point was moved to the left, then the exponent is positive. If the decimal point was moved to the right, then the
exponent is negative.
The first number is greater than 10, so a positive exponent
of 10 will be used in the scientific notation. First, find a by
moving the decimal point in 87,000,000.0 until there is only
one digit remaining to the left of the decimal point. So, the
value of a is 8.7000000, or 8.7. Since the decimal point was
moved 7 places to the left, the exponent of 10 is 7. Thus,
87,000,000 = 8.7 × 107.

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 Prealgebra 2

The second number is between 0 and 1, so a negative

exponent of 10 will be used in the scientific notation. First,
find a by moving the decimal point in 0.00005071 until there
is only one digit remaining to the left of the decimal point.
So, the value of a is 5.071. Since the decimal point was moved
5 places to the right, the exponent of 10 is –5. Thus,
0.00005071 = 5.071 × 10–5.

Example 2
In Example 2, numbers written in scientific notation are converted to standard form.
To write a number that is in scientific notation in standard form, multiply the value of a by the power of 10. Remember,
multiplying a number by a power of 10 simply moves the decimal point in that number. The digits remain the same, but zeros
may be added as placeholders. If the exponent of 10 is positive, the decimal point moves to the right (resulting in a larger
number). If the exponent of 10 is negative, the decimal point moves to the left (resulting in a smaller number).
In the first number, the exponent of 10 is 4. Since the
exponent is positive, move the decimal point in 1.3 to the
right. Since the exponent is the number 4, move the decimal
point 4 places. Three 0's must be added as placeholders. So,
1.3 × 104 = 13,000.

In the second number, the exponent of 10 is 8, so move the

decimal point in 9.20751 eight places to the right.

In the third number, the exponent of 10 is –3. So, move the

decimal point in 4.2 to the left 3 places. Two 0's must be
added as placeholders. So, 4.2 × 10–3 = 0.0042.

Example 3
In Example 3, numbers written in scientific notation are compared and ordered from least to greatest.
One method for comparing numbers written in scientific notation is to convert each number to standard form and then to
compare as usual. Alternatively, numbers written in scientific notation may be compared without converting to standard form.
Instead, order the numbers by their powers of 10. For example, 6.2 × 10–3 is less than 1.5 × 104 since the exponent in 6.2 × 10–3
is less than the exponent in 1.5 × 104, or –3 is less than 4. Notice that when those two numbers were compared, the value of
a was not considered. The value of a need only be considered when the exponents in the numbers are equal.
Notice that each number in the list is in scientific notation
since each value of a is greater than 1 but less than 10 and
each value of a is multiplied by some power of 10. To list
the numbers from least to greatest, first list the numbers in
order by the powers of 10, starting with the smallest exponent.
Then, compare the numbers that have the same power of 10.

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 Exponents and Polynomials

Example 4
In Example 4, calculations are made with numbers in scientific notation.
One method for multiplying or dividing numbers written in scientific notation is to convert each number to standard form and
then to multiply or divide as usual. Alternatively, numbers written in scientific notation may be multiplied or divided without
converting to standard form. Instead, multiply or divide the values of a and then multiply or divide the powers of 10 using the
product of powers property or the quotient of powers property. Remember, the product of powers property states that when
powers with like bases are multiplied, the product is the common base to the sum of the exponents. Additionally, the quotient
of powers property states that when powers with like bases are divided, the product is the common base to the difference of
the exponents.
Consider the product of these two numbers written in
scientific notation. This product may be written as
5.0 · 10–3 · 7.08 · 10–4. Notice that the only operations being
used is multiplication. Since multiplication is commutative
and associative, these factors can be rewritten as
(5.0 · 7.08)(10–3 · 10–4). Now, multiply the decimals as usual
and use the product of powers property to add the exponents
of the powers of 10. Since –3 + 4 = 1, the exponent of 10 is 1.

Note that 35.4 × 101 is not in scientific notation since 35.4 is

greater than 10.

In the second exercise, use the properties of multiplication

of fractions to write the quotient as the product of two
fractions. Then, divide the decimals as usual and use the
quotient of powers property to subtract the exponents of the
powers of 10. Since –4 – (–6) = 2, the exponent of 10 is 2.

Example 5
In Example 5, scientific notation is used in a proportion to find the number of square feet in 300,000 acres.
Remember, a ratio is a comparison of two quantities and two equal ratios form a proportion. Additionally, the cross products
of a proportion are equivalent and, therefore, can be used to find an unknown value in a proportion.

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 Prealgebra 2

The information given in this exercise can be restated as

4.356 × 104 square feet is to 1 acre as x square feet is to
300,000 acres, where x is the number of square feet in 300,000
acres. Write this information as a proportion and then find
the cross products.

After finding the cross products, notice that the expression

on the right side of the equation is a product where one factor
is in scientific notation, 4.356 × 104, and the other factor is
in standard form, 300,000. To multiply these two numbers,
write 300,000 in scientific notation and then multiply as usual.

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