SCIENTIFIC NOTATION

Scientific Notation
is the way that scientists easily
handle very large numbers or very
small numbers.
b # that represents
the # of places the

N= a x 10 b decimal points shifted

a # that is not less than 1 but

not more than 10
Example 1: Express 1 000 and 0.001
in powers of 10.

Solution:

1000 = 10 x 10 x 10 = 103

0.001= = = 10-3
Example 2: Express the given # in the
correct form of scientific notation

a. 123,400x103 will become 1.23x108

b. 0.000123x10-8 will become 1.23x10-12

Example 3: Express the following in
scientific notation:

a. Mass of the Sun: 1 990 000 000 000 000

000 000 000 000 000 kg
1.99 x 1030
b. Mass of a proton:

0.0000000000000000000000000016726
231 kg
1.67 x 10-27
Examples

1.5 x 107
1. 15 000 000= ________________

5.8 x 10-3
2. 0.0058= ____________________
Examples

1.23 x 10 12
3. 1 230 045 600 000=_______________

8.76 x 10-6
4. 0.00000876000= _________________
SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
• EXACT NUMBERS
-those without uncertainty or error.

• MEASURED NUMBERS
- are those obtained from measurement
processes and so generally have some
degree of uncertainty or errors.
 GUIDELINES IN DETERMINING
SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
• In any measurement, all nonzero digits
are significant.
• Zeros may or may not be significant:
a. Leading zeros, those at the beginning
of a number, are never significant.
0.0141

b. Confined zeros, those between

nonzero digits, are always significant.

3.063
 GUIDELINES IN DETERMINING
SIGNIFICANT FIGURES

c. Trailing zeros, those at the end of a

number, are significant if a decimal
point is present in the number.
56.00

d. Trailing zeros, those at the end of a

number, are not significant if the
number lacks an explicitly shown
decimal point
59 000 000
Practice Exercises: For each of the following
measurements, give the number of significant
figures present.
a. 5623.00 b. 0.0031

c. 97, 200 d. 637

Practice Exercises: For each of the following
measurements, give the number of significant
figures present
a. 727.23 b. 0.1031

c. 47, 230 d.637, 000, 000

ADDING AND SUBTRACTING
SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
In adding and subtracting significant
figures , the number of significant figures in
the sum or difference is determined by the
rightmost place at doubtful figure occurs in
any of the measurement being added.

235.01
+ 10.2
245.21 = 245.2
MULTIPLYING AND DIVIDING
SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
In multiplication and division, the
number of significant figures in the
answer is the same as the number of
significant figures in the
measurement that contains the
fewest significant figures.
MULTIPYING AND DIVIDING
SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
127.003
x 127
16129.381 16100

33357
1.8
=18531.66667 19000

NOTE: The least number of significant

figures should be retain.
SHORT QUIZ
Express the following numbers in
scientific notation:

a. 1 230 045 600 000

b. 0.0000087600
c. 0.00034500x 10-2
d. 958 000 .8900x10-6
SHORT QUIZ
Round off each of the following
numbers to three significant figures.

a. 432.55
b. 0.03317
c. 162700
d. 65 234