Q: How is the number 897,980 written in Scientific Notation?

 A: 8.9798 x 105

Why is 897,980 written as 8.9798 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 897,980 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: 897,980
  • New Number: 8.97980

Step 2

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

New Number: 8.97980
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 = 8.9798 (Please notice any zeroes on the end have been removed)

b = 5

Now the whole thing:

8.9798 x 105

Step 4

Check your work:

105 = 100,000 x 8.9798 = 897,980


More Scientific Notation Examples

897,978897,979897,981897,982
8.97978 x 1058.97979 x 1058.97981 x 1058.97982 x 105

Explore more about the number 897,980:


Ask a Question