Q: How is the number 287,838 written in Scientific Notation?

 A: 2.87838 x 105

Why is 287,838 written as 2.87838 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 287,838 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: 287,838
  • New Number: 2.87838

Step 2

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

New Number: 2.87838
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 = 2.87838

b = 5

Now the whole thing:

2.87838 x 105

Step 4

Check your work:

105 = 100,000 x 2.87838 = 287,838


More Scientific Notation Examples

287,836287,837287,839287,840
2.87836 x 1052.87837 x 1052.87839 x 1052.8784 x 105

Explore more about the number 287,838:


Ask a Question