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Year 8 · Place Value

Scientific notation

Scientific notation writes big or small numbers as a number between 1 and 10 times a power of 10.

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How to do it

  1. Move the decimal point until there is one non-zero digit in front.
  2. Count the moves: that is the power. Left moves: positive. Right moves: negative.

Worked example

5300 in scientific notation
5300 ÷ 1000 = 5.3 (the digits move 3 places right)
5.3 × 10³

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The first number must be at least 1 and less than 10.

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