Topics > Matter & Measurements > Scientific Notation

Scientific notation is a way to express very large or very small numbers in a more compact form. It is commonly used in scientific and mathematical calculations, as well as in representing measurements and quantities in various scientific fields.

In scientific notation, a number is expressed as the product of a coefficient and a power of 10. The coefficient is a number between 1 and 10, and the power of 10 indicates the scale or magnitude of the number. The power of 10 is determined by the number of places the decimal point needs to be shifted to the left or right to obtain a coefficient between 1 and 10.

For example:

• The number 300,000,000 can be expressed in scientific notation as 3 x 10^8. Here, the coefficient is 3 (between 1 and 10), and the power of 10 is 8, indicating that the decimal point is shifted 8 places to the right (since its positive).

• Similarly, the number 0.000025 can be written in scientific notation as 2.5 x 10^-5. In this case, the coefficient is 2.5, and the power of 10 is -5, indicating that the decimal point is shifted 5 places to the left (since its negative).