Question

Part E: Very small numbers are often written in exponential form using scientific notation to make them easier to multiply or divide. Explain how to apply the laws of exponents when multiplying and dividing numbers written in scientific notation.

Answer 1

When multiplying numbers written in scientific notation you can take the numbers without the 10^exponent part and multiply them and then add the exponents of the base 10 powers. For example (A*10^B) * (C*10^D) is the same as (A*C)*10^(B+D). For dividing it works the same way, only instead of adding the exponent you subtract them. For example (A*10^B) / (C*10^D) is the same as (A/C)*10^(B-D).