Scientific Notation
A shorthand way of writing really large or really small numbers. In scientific notation a number is written as the product of two factors
First Factor
A number that is between 1 and 10, it may or may not be a decimal. Eg 2.8 in 2.8 x 10^8
Second Factor
It is always a power of 10. The power of the exponent tells you how many places to move the decimal point. The sign of the exponent tells you which direction to move it. Eg 10^8 in 2.8 x 10^8
45,000
4.5 x 10^4
.05
5 x 10^ -2
570,000,000
5.7 x 10^8