Q: How is the number 501,240 written in Scientific Notation?

 A: 5.0124 x 105

Why is 501,240 written as 5.0124 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 501,240 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: 501,240
  • New Number: 5.01240

Step 2

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

New Number: 5.01240
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 = 5.0124 (Please notice any zeroes on the end have been removed)

b = 5

Now the whole thing:

5.0124 x 105

Step 4

Check your work:

105 = 100,000 x 5.0124 = 501,240


More Scientific Notation Examples

501,238501,239501,241501,242
5.01238 x 1055.01239 x 1055.01241 x 1055.01242 x 105

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