Scientific Notation (Standard Form of a Number)
Big Idea: Scientific notation is a compact way to write extremely large or extremely small numbers using powers of 10. Scientists, engineers, and mathematicians use it every day!
Formal Definition
A number is in scientific notation (standard form) when it is written as:
$$ a \times 10^n $$
where:
- $ a $ is called the coefficient (or significand), and $ 1 \leq |a| < 10 $
- $ n $ is an integer (positive, negative, or zero) called the exponent
- The coefficient $ a $ must have exactly one non-zero digit before the decimal point