How do you put 1236840 in scientific notation?

Answer 1

1. Find the decimal point (if there is not one visible, it is "hiding" at the right hand end)
2. Put it after the first non-zero digit
3. Count the number of digits that it would need to move to get back to its original position (if this is to the left, make it negative); put this as the power of 10.
4. Multiply the results of steps 2 and 3 together.

Examples:

1234:

1. No decimal point so hiding after the 4: "1234."
2. 1.234
3. to get decimal point back to original position it must move 3 digits right: 103
4. 1.234 x 103

12.34:

1. decimal point after the 2
2. 1.234
3. to get back to original position decimal point must move 1 digit right: 101
4. 1.234 x 101

0.01234

1. Decimal point after first zero
2. 1.234 (first non-zero digit is the 1 - the leading zeros are removed)
3. to get back to original position decimal point must move 2 digits left: 10-2
4. 1.234 x 10-2.