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To show the value of very large and very small numbers, typically those with many zeroes. A multitude of zeros is difficult to keep track of- at a glance there seems to be no difference between 10000 and 100000. Scientific notation eliminates these placeholder zeros so that it is clear what number is meant.
To compute very large or very small numbers.

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Wiki User

8y ago
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8y ago

Scientific Notation is simply a shorthand method of writing numbers that would be very lengthy and hard to interpret. For example:

256 trillion = 256,000,000,000,000 in Scientific Notation is represented as: 2.56 x 1014

The same is true for very small numbers:

125 trillionths = 0.000000000125 in Scientific Notation is represented as: 1.25 x 10-10

Multiplication, division and exponential operations are simplified as well. For multiplication, the powers of ten are added together. For division, they are subtracted. That means that you are left to deal with the few main digits. So, to multiply the numbers from above:

2.56 x 1014 x 1.25 x 10-10 = 3.2 x 104

Much easier than keeping track of all those decimal places.
Scientific notation makes very large or very small numbers more manageable.

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9y ago

When dealing with reactions on the atomic or molecular level, it is often necessary to deal with masses that are extremely small. Consider that the mass of an electron is only 9.109 E(-31) kilograms, and it is easy to see why scientific notation is needed.

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tatertot

Lvl 7
3y ago

It makes large numbers easier to compare and work with. Apex

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8y ago

It saves writing out very large numbers as for example 5,000,000,000,000,000 = 5.0*10^15 in scientific notation

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Zayne Murphy

Lvl 1
3y ago
scientific notation is more accurate than writing out a number - apex 

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Wiki User

15y ago

the numbers are usually very large so they put them into scientific notation to simplify the equations and to make the numbers easier to grasp

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13y ago

Scientific notation is used in many different applications for simplicity. it is much easier to write 1,321,540,000,000 as 1.32154 x 10^12.

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8y ago

Because sometimes numbers get very big or very small.

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Q: Why is it useful o express a number in scientific notation?
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Related questions

When is scientific notation most useful?

When you have a number with a large amount of digits.


Would measuring stars be useful for scientific notation?

You have it in reverse. Scientific notation is useful for measuring stars.


Why is scientific notation useful in economics?

Scientific notation is useful in economics to compute very large or very small numbers.


How is scientific notation useful in mathematics?

Scientific notation is useful in mathematics because it makes very large or very small numbers easier to compute.


Why is it useful to express a number in scientific notation?

It can shorten the expression into a number that can more easily be understood by giving an order of magnitude to the number. For example, would you write 0.00000000000000000045 or would you write 4.5 X10-19.


What statement describe why scientific notation useful?

allows large or small number to be written without all the zeros


What is the scientific notation and why is it useful?

You use scientific notation when it comes to "too large" or "too small" numbers. The reasons why using scientific notation is useful are that it saves time to do the computation and also that it makes people's life easier to compute values instead of writing them out completely!


Why do you use scientific notation to write numbers?

Scientific notation is used to express numbers that are very large or very small in a compact and standardized way. It consists of a number between 1 and 10 multiplied by a power of 10. This notation helps to simplify calculations and make comparisons between numbers easier. It also allows for expressing extremely large or small values without having to write out all the zeros.


What are the uses of scientific notation?

Scientific notation gives a compact notation, which is especially useful for writing down - and doing calculations with - very large, and very small, numbers.


Which types of number does scientific notation best describe?

Scientific notation is most useful when working with numbers which are very small or very large.


Where can you use scientific notation?

Scientific notation tends to be useful any time you have to deal with either very large numbers or very small numbers.


How is scientific notation useful to atsromeners?

1.9 X 1027 kilograms ------------------------ This is the mass of Jupiter. Try writing that out in longhand and you will see why scientific notation is useful to astronomers. Very large numbers in astronomy need a way to write them in a useful and compact form.