Explain the scientific notation method of measurement.

Vedclass pdf generator app on play store
Vedclass iOS app on app store
Chemistry involves the study of atoms and molecules,which have extremely low masses and are present in extremely large numbers.
Chemists often deal with very large numbers,such as $602,200,000,000,000,000,000,000$ for the number of molecules in $2 \ g$ of hydrogen gas,or very small numbers,such as $0.00000000000000000000000166 \ g$ for the mass of a single $H$ atom.
To simplify calculations,scientific notation (exponential notation) is used,where any number is represented as $N \times 10^{n}$.
Here,$n$ is an exponent that can be positive or negative,and $N$ is a digit term varying between $1.000$ and $9.999$.
For example,$232.508$ is written as $2.32508 \times 10^{2}$,and $0.00016$ is written as $1.6 \times 10^{-4}$.
Multiplication and Division:
These operations follow standard rules for exponents.
Example (Multiplication): $(5.6 \times 10^{5}) \times (6.9 \times 10^{8}) = (5.6 \times 6.9) \times 10^{5+8} = 38.64 \times 10^{13} = 3.864 \times 10^{14}$.
Example (Division): $\frac{2.7 \times 10^{-3}}{5.5 \times 10^{-4}} = (2.7 \div 5.5) \times 10^{-3 - (-4)} = 0.4909 \times 10^{1} = 4.909$.
Addition and Subtraction:
For these operations,the numbers must first be converted to have the same exponent.
Example (Addition): $6.65 \times 10^{4} + 8.95 \times 10^{3} = 6.65 \times 10^{4} + 0.895 \times 10^{4} = (6.65 + 0.895) \times 10^{4} = 7.545 \times 10^{4}$.
Example (Subtraction): $2.5 \times 10^{-2} - 4.8 \times 10^{-3} = 2.5 \times 10^{-2} - 0.48 \times 10^{-2} = (2.5 - 0.48) \times 10^{-2} = 2.02 \times 10^{-2}$.

Explore More

Similar Questions

Convert the following into basic units:
$(i)$ $28.7\, pm$
$(ii)$ $15.15\, pm$
$(iii)$ $25365\, mg$

Difficult
View Solution

How many significant figures should be present in the answer of the following calculation? $\frac{2.5 \times 1.25 \times 3.5}{2.01}$

$1 \, kg \, m^{-3} = \dots \, g \, cm^{-3}$

$A$ jug contains $2 \ L$ of milk. Calculate the volume of the milk in $m^{3}$.

Difficult
View Solution

Observe the following:
$I) 0.0063$
$II) 132.00$
$III) 1004$
The number of significant figures in $I, II$ and $III$ is respectively:

Vedclass Products

For Students

Vedclass Test Series

Mock tests in real JEE/NEET style with performance analysis. 5-day free trial.

Start Free Trial
For Teachers

Exam Paper Generator

Generate Set A/B/C/D exam papers from 7.5L+ questions in 2 minutes. 3 chapters free.

Try Free
For Institutes

Online Exam Module

Live online exams with unlimited students, 360° analytics & white-label branding.

See Demo