CliffsQuickReview Basic Math and Pre-Algebra
Chapter One
POWERS OF TEN AND
SCIENTIFIC NOTATION
Chapter Check-In
Operations with powers of ten
Changing to scientific notation
Operations with scientific notation
Powers of Ten
Since our number system is based on powers of ten, you should understand
the notation and how to work with these powers, as follows:
[10.sup.0] = 1
[10.sup.1] = 10
[10.sup.2] = 10 x 10 = 100
[10.sup.3] = 10 x 10 x 10 = 1,000
and so on.
[10.sup.-1] = 1/10 = .1
[10.sup.-2] = 1/[10.sub.2] = [1/10] x [1/10] = 1/100 = .01
[10.sup.-3] = 1/[10.sub.3] = [1/10] x [1/10] x [1/10] = 1/1000 = .001
and so on.
Multiplying powers of ten
To multiply powers of ten, add the exponents.
Example 1: Multiply the following and leave the answers in powers of ten.
(a) 100 x 10
(b) 1,000 x 100
(c) .01 x .001
(d) 10,000 x .01
(e) .0001 x 1,000
(a) 100 x 10 = [10.sup.2] x [10.sup.1] = [10.sup.(2 + 1)] = [10.sup.3]
(b) 1,000 x 100 = [10.sup.3] x [10.s ... read full excerpt from CliffsQuickReview Basic Math and Pre-Algebra ebook
