Lesson 13Definition of Scientific Notation
Learning Goal
Let’s use scientific notation to describe large and small numbers.
Learning Targets
I can tell whether or not a number is written in scientific notation.
Lesson Terms
- scientific notation
Warm Up: Number Talk: Multiplying by Powers of 10
Problem 1
Find the value of each expression mentally.
Activity 1: The “Science” of Scientific Notation
Problem 1
The table shows the speed of light or electricity through different materials. Circle the speeds that are written in scientific notation. Write the others using scientific notation.
material | speed (meters per second) |
---|---|
space | |
water | |
copper (electricity) | |
diamond | |
ice | |
olive oil |
Activity 2: Scientific Notation Matching
Problem 1
Your teacher will give you and your partner a set of cards. Some of the cards show numbers in scientific notation, and other cards show numbers that are not in scientific notation.
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Shuffle the cards and lay them facedown.
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Players take turns trying to match cards with the same value.
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On your turn, choose two cards to turn faceup for everyone to see. Then:
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If the two cards have the same value and one of them is written in scientific notation, whoever says “Science!” first gets to keep the cards, and it becomes that player’s turn. If it’s already your turn when you call “Science!”, that means you get to go again. If you say “Science!” when the cards do not match or one is not in scientific notation, then your opponent gets a point.
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If both partners agree the two cards have the same value, then remove them from the board and keep them. You get a point for each card you keep.
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If the two cards do not have the same value, then set them facedown in the same position and end your turn.
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If it is not your turn:
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If the two cards have the same value and one of them is written in scientific notation, then whoever says “Science!” first gets to keep the cards, and it becomes that player’s turn. If you call “Science!” when the cards do not match or one is not in scientific notation, then your opponent gets a point.
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Make sure both of you agree the cards have the same value.
If you disagree, work to reach an agreement.
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Whoever has the most points at the end wins.
Are you ready for more?
Problem 1
Using your knowledge of describing large and small numbers using powers of 10 from Unit 7 Lesson 9, create possible values in scientific notation with units to describe approximate measurements for the following situations. Create two values for each scenario using different units within the same measurement system. You can use the internet to research the following problems as needed to find approximate values.
The distance from the Earth to the Moon
The height of the Empire State Building
The size of a plant cell
The height of a typical postage stamp
Lesson Summary
The total value of all the quarters made in 2014 is 400 million dollars. There are many ways to express this using powers of 10. We could write this as
400 million dollars would be written as
Some other examples of scientific notation are
Thinking back to how we plotted these large (or small) numbers on a number line, scientific notation tells us which powers of 10 to place on the left and right of the number line. For example, if we want to plot