document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=462036>Question 462036</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> How do I convert this to scientific notation? 0.000000309 </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #316780 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=math-vortex><B>math-vortex(648)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-11.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=math-vortex><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/cgi-bin/show-face.mpl?user=math-vortex><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=316780\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> How do I convert this to scientific notation? 0.000000309<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Scientific notation is a useful way to represent very large---or very small---numbers. (Who really wants to write all those zeroes?)<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Numbers in scientific notation look like this:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "[a decimal number greater than or equal to 1, and less than 10] x [10 raised to some power]<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Let's look at your number, 0.000000309<BR>\n" );
document.write( "That's 309 billionths, but 309 is too big a number for scientific notation. We need a number between 1 and 10...a number like 3.09 hundred billionths. One hundred billion is 10 raised to the negative 9th power.<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "<IMG STYLE=\"max-width:80%;\" SRC=/cgi-bin/plot-formula.mpl?expression=3.09%2A10%5E-9 ALIGN=MIDDLE  ALT=\"3.09%2A10%5E-9\"   DISABLED_style= \"max-width:90%; height:auto;\" ><BR>\n" );
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document.write( "An easy way to decide how many powers of ten you have is to count the number of decimal places you move to get a number between 1 and 10. We move 9 places to the right to change 0.000000309 into 3.09. That's equivalent to 10^(-9).<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "I hope this helps! Scientific notation can be hard to understand at first, but once you get it, it's very useful, and kind of fun (in a geeky sort of way!)<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Here are two good websites for learning scientific notation:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "http://www.purplemath.com/modules/exponent3.htm<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "http://www.khanacademy.org/video/scientific-notation-1?playlist=Algebra%20I%20Worked%20Examples<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Ms.Figgy<BR>\n" );
document.write( "math.in.the.vortex </SPAN>\n" );
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