Q: How is the number 281,420 written in Scientific Notation?

 A: 2.8142 x 105

Why is 281,420 written as 2.8142 x 105 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 281,420 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: 281,420
  • New Number: 2.81420

Step 2

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

New Number: 2.81420
Decimal Count: 12345

There are 5 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 = 2.8142 (Please notice any zeroes on the end have been removed)

b = 5

Now the whole thing:

2.8142 x 105

Step 4

Check your work:

105 = 100,000 x 2.8142 = 281,420


More Scientific Notation Examples

281,418281,419281,421281,422
2.81418 x 1052.81419 x 1052.81421 x 1052.81422 x 105

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