Q: How is the number 987 written in Scientific Notation?

 A: 9.87 x 102

Why is 987 written as 9.87 x 102 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 987 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: 987
  • New Number: 9.87

Step 2

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

New Number: 9.87
Decimal Count: 12

There are 2 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 = 9.87

b = 2

Now the whole thing:

9.87 x 102

Step 4

Check your work:

102 = 100 x 9.87 = 987


More Scientific Notation Examples

985986988989
9.85 x 1029.86 x 1029.88 x 1029.89 x 102

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