This week in Math 10, I have chosen to talk about scientific notation.

Scientific notation is a technique typically used by engineers, mathematicians, and, of course, scientists, to quickly write large numbers with good accuracy in a short form. For example, the mass of the sun is roughly 1988500000000000000000000000000 kilograms, where it is very easy to mistakenly leave a zero out. With scientific notation, it can be written as such:

The 10 with the exponent is equal to 1000000000000000000000000000000, and is a shorthand for that particular number. 10 is uniquely suited for scientific notation as it can multiply to become millions, billions, trillions, etc.

The power of the 10 is determined by the number of digits a number has, minus one. The decimal number, meanwhile, is determined by any number of the first digits (at least two, and preferably at most five as shown before), with an added decimal point after the first digit.

Scientific notation is also used to write very small numbers. For example, the typical diameter of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus is 0.00000012 meters, written as ; the negative exponent is what allows this, by reciprocating the positive counterpart. Reciprocating, in a math context, being the inversion of positive/negative status. In the case of the small numbers, the value of the exponent is the negative number of digits, minus 2.