scientific notation

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There is a mathematical scientific notation which is very useful for writing very big and very small numbers.

25, 300, 000, 000, 000 miles

0. 000 000 0203 seconds

Move the decimal until there is only one number to its left, count how many places you moved it, write the number multiplied by ten to the power of the times you moved it.

2.53 x 10 to the 13th

If you move the decimal point to the left then the exponent is positive, an if you move the decimal point to the right then the exponent becomes negative.

2.03 x 10 to the -8th

3, 749, 000, 000 = 3.749 x 10 to the 9

0. 000 052 = 5.2 x 10 to the -5

813, 000, 000, 000, 000 = 8.13 x 10 to the 14