Sci I - Scientific Notation

What is scientific notation?

A way to write very big and very small numbers in a compact abbreviated form.

Why is scientific notation useful in physics?

Because many fundamental physics numbers are extremely large or small.

What is the mass of the Sun written out in kilograms?

2,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg.

How can the Sun’s mass be written in scientific notation?

2 × 10^30 kg.

What does 2 × 10^30 mean?

2 multiplied by 10 to the 30th power.

What does 10^2 equal?

100.

What does 10^3 equal?

1,000.

What does the power of 10 represent in scientific notation?

The number of zeros after the first digit.

What is the mass of a single proton written out in kilograms?

0.000000000000000000000000001 kg.

How can the proton’s mass be written in scientific notation?

1 × 10^–27 kg.

What does a negative exponent in scientific notation mean?

Dividing by 10 rather than multiplying.

What does 10^–1 equal?

0.1.

What does 10^–2 equal?

0.01.

How does scientific notation help with the metric system?

It makes converting between metric units easier, since the metric system is based on multiplying and dividing by 10.

How many grams are in one kilogram?

1,000 grams.

How can 1 kilogram be written in terms of grams using scientific notation?

1 × 10^3 grams.

How can 1 gram be written in terms of kilograms using scientific notation?

1 × 10^–3 kilograms.

What does the prefix “kilo” mean?

1,000 of a unit.

What does the prefix “milli” mean?

One thousandth of a unit, or 10^–3.

What does the prefix “centi” mean?

One hundredth of a unit, or 10^–2.

What does the prefix “micro” mean?

One millionth of a unit, or 10^–6.

What does the prefix “nano” mean?

One billionth of a unit, or 10^–9.

What does the prefix “mega” mean?

One million of a unit, or 10^6.