Units &

Scientific
Notation

Warm Up - 8/29/16
Complete on page 7a, under scientific notation notes

Do you think it is important to

have a standard set of units? Why
or why not?
e
c
n
Ou
s

Inches

Gr
am
s

Pounds

Ca
r

Horse

Mil
es

Kilo
me
te

rs
Feet

rs
e
t
Me

Hand

Units
Page 7b

Centuries ago, units of measurements were not

exact. People might measure a distance by
counting steps, or measure time using a sundial
or hourglass filled with sand.

Scientists decided this needed to be addressed. In

1960 a group of scientists determined a standard
set of units called, Systeme Internationale
dUnites (SI)
We do NOT use inches, pounds, or fahrenheit when taking
measurements in the lab.

Mass
Unit:

grams

Symbol:

g
Equipment:
balance (digital or pan)

Length
Unit:

meters

Symbol:

m
Equipment:
ruler, meter stick, etc.

Time
Unit:

seconds

Symbol:

s
Equipment:
stop watch

Temperature
Unit:

Kelvin

Symbol:

K
Equipment:
thermometer
Note: our thermometers
are in celsius. In order to
convert celsius to Kelvin
add 273 degrees.
Kelvin = C + 273

Amount of Substance
Unit:

moles

Symbol:

mol
Equipment:
calculation

Note: we will learn more

about this unit throughout
the year.

Electric Current
Unit:

Ampere

Symbol:

A
Equipment:
galvanometer

Luminous Intensity
Unit:

candela

Symbol:

cd
Equipment:
calculation

Note: we will not use this

unit at all this year.

Metric Prefixes
Page 6b

You will need to

memorize these!!

To better describe the range of possible measurements,

scientists add prefixes to the base units.

The prefixes represent the magnitude of the measurement, as

described by the chart below.

Pr Sy Nume Powe
ef mb rical
r of
x
ol Value
10
equiv
alent
M M
eg
a

1,000 106
,000

Kil k
o

1,000 103

H
ec
to

100

102

Scientific Notation
Page 7a

Would you like to say or write this number:

602,000,000,000,000,000,000,000?
How about this number:
0.000000000000000714?
The two numbers above are what we see
in our daily lives. These numbers are
written in standard notation.
However, wouldnt it be easier to say or
write 6.02 x 1023 or 7.14 x10-16?

Scientific Notation
To change a number in standard notation
into scientific notation all we have do is
move the decimal left or right.
The direction and number of times the
decimal is moved, determines the power and
sign of the exponent.
If we move the decimal to the left the
exponent is positive
If we move the decimal to the right the
exponent is negative

Steps for Scientific

Notation
Move the decimal place to the left or right to
create a new number from 1 up to 9. The decimal
goes next to the first nonzero digit in the number.
(N)
Determine the exponent, which is the number of
times you moved the decimal. If you moved the
decimal to the left it is positive exponent; and if
you moved it to the right it is negative exponent.
(a)
Write in the number in the correct format:
N x 10a

Note:

Correct scientific notation includes only

one number (1-9) on the left side of the
decimal.

Quick Check
For letters A-F, determine which numbers are
written in correct scientific notation.

A.
8.5
2x
104
D.
3.1

B.
4.9
x
10-1
E.
0.2

C.
11.
0x
105
F.
184

Check for Understanding!

Write each number in scientific notation
I
D
O.
..

4 0. 7 0.
2 7 0 00
5 1
05
4
48

W
E
D
O.
..

0.
5
0
2

0.
0
0
0

3, 1
5 0.
8 0
4