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Standard Form & Units of measurement

Introduction to Standard Form

  • Standard form is a method of representing very large or small numbers consistently.

  • Known as scientific notation.

  • Important for clarity in mathematical representation.

  • The focus will be on conversion, calculation, and base units.

Importance of Base Unit Conversion

  • All values need conversion to base units for calculator compatibility.

  • Example: "15mΩ" must be converted to base unit "Ω" (ohms).

  • Metric Prefix Scale: SI prefixes allow for decimal multiples and subdivisions of SI units (e.g., multiplying or dividing by 10, 100, 1000).

Writing Numbers in Standard Form

  • To convert to standard form:

    • Identify a number between 1 and 10.

    • Determine how many times to multiply this number by 10 to return to the original number.

Example of Standard Form Conversion

  • Example: 5,000 in standard form is written as 5 x 103

  • Steps:

    1. Identify the number as between 1 and 10.

    2. Multiply by 10 (the appropriate power) based on the number scale (1000s, etc).

    3. Zeros at the end of the number can be omitted.

Additional Practice - Exam Questions

  • Exam Question: Convert the number 269.54 into standard form.