Q: How is the number 38,720 written in Scientific Notation?
A: 3.872 x 104
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 38,720 is written in scientific notation.
To find a, take the number and move a decimal place to the right one position.
Now, to find b, count how many places to the right of the decimal.
| New Number: | 3 | . | 8 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Decimal Count: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
There are 4 places to the right of the decimal place.
Building upon what we know above, we can now reconstruct the number into scientific notation.
Remember, the notation is: a x 10b
a = 3.872 (Please notice any zeroes on the end have been removed)
b = 4
Now the whole thing:
3.872 x 104
Check your work:
104 = 10,000 x 3.872 = 38,720