Q: How is the number 72,404 written in Scientific Notation?

 A: 7.2404 x 104

Why is 72,404 written as 7.2404 x 104 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 72,404 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: 72,404
  • New Number: 7.2404

Step 2

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

New Number: 7.2404
Decimal Count: 1234

There are 4 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 = 7.2404

b = 4

Now the whole thing:

7.2404 x 104

Step 4

Check your work:

104 = 10,000 x 7.2404 = 72,404


More Scientific Notation Examples

72,40272,40372,40572,406
7.2402 x 1047.2403 x 1047.2405 x 1047.2406 x 104

Explore more about the number 72,404:


Ask a Question