Q: How is the number 1,280 written in Scientific Notation?

 A: 1.28 x 103

Why is 1,280 written as 1.28 x 103 in scientific notation?

The purpose of scientific notation is for scientists to write very large, or very small, numbers with ease.

Calculating scientific notation for a positive integer is simple, as it always follows this notation:

a x 10b

Follow the steps below to see how 1,280 is written in scientific notation.

Step 1

To find a, take the number and move a decimal place to the right one position.

  • Original Number: 1,280
  • New Number: 1.280

Step 2

Now, to find b, count how many places to the right of the decimal.

New Number: 1.280
Decimal Count: 123

There are 3 places to the right of the decimal place.

Step 3

Building upon what we know above, we can now reconstruct the number into scientific notation.

Remember, the notation is: a x 10b

a = 1.28 (Please notice any zeroes on the end have been removed)

b = 3

Now the whole thing:

1.28 x 103

Step 4

Check your work:

103 = 1,000 x 1.28 = 1,280


More Scientific Notation Examples

1,2781,2791,2811,282
1.278 x 1031.279 x 1031.281 x 1031.282 x 103

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