Q: How is the number 5,420 written in Scientific Notation?
A: 5.42 x 103
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 5,420 is written in scientific notation.
To find a, take the number and move a decimal place to the right one position.
Now, to find b, count how many places to the right of the decimal.
| New Number: | 5 | . | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Decimal Count: | 1 | 2 | 3 |
There are 3 places to the right of the decimal place.
Building upon what we know above, we can now reconstruct the number into scientific notation.
Remember, the notation is: a x 10b
a = 5.42 (Please notice any zeroes on the end have been removed)
b = 3
Now the whole thing:
5.42 x 103
Check your work:
103 = 1,000 x 5.42 = 5,420