1. Scientific Notation

2. What is scientific notation Use of powers of 10 in writing a number is called scientific notation. Such number have the form M x 10 n

3. How do we determine M? Determine M by shifting the decimal point in the original number to the left or to the right until only one non-zero digit is to the left of it. M should contain only the significant figures of the original number.

4. How do we determine n? Determine n by counting the number of places the decimal point has been shifted. If the decimal point has been shifted to the left, n is positive. If the decimal point has been shifted to the right, n is negative.

5. Examples 1250 is written 1.25 x 10 3 in scientific notation. 0.0000044 is written 4.4 x 10 -6 in scientific notation.