Q: How is the number 171,788,158 written in Scientific Notation?

 A: 1.71788158 x 108

Why is 171,788,158 written as 1.71788158 x 108 in scientific notation?

The purpose of scientific notation is for scientists to write very large, or very small, numbers with ease.

Calculating scientific notation for a positive integer is simple, as it always follows this notation:

a x 10b

Follow the steps below to see how 171,788,158 is written in scientific notation.

Step 1

To find a, take the number and move a decimal place to the right one position.

  • Original Number: 171,788,158
  • New Number: 1.71788158

Step 2

Now, to find b, count how many places to the right of the decimal.

New Number: 1.71788158
Decimal Count: 12345678

There are 8 places to the right of the decimal place.

Step 3

Building upon what we know above, we can now reconstruct the number into scientific notation.

Remember, the notation is: a x 10b

a = 1.71788158

b = 8

Now the whole thing:

1.71788158 x 108

Step 4

Check your work:

108 = 100,000,000 x 1.71788158 = 171,788,158


More Scientific Notation Examples

171,788,156171,788,157171,788,159171,788,160
1.71788156 x 1081.71788157 x 1081.71788159 x 1081.7178816 x 108

Explore more about the number 171,788,158:


Ask a Question