Fundamental Topics in Science © 2001 Texas Instruments Teacher Notes 3-4
3: Scientific Notation Teacher Notes
Objectives
Upon completion of this section, students should be able to:
•
Given a number in scientific notation, express it in standard decimal form.
•
Given a number in standard decimal form, express it in scientific notation.
•
Perform addition and subtraction with numbers expressed in scientific notation.
•
Perform multiplication and division with numbers expressed in scientific notation.
Relevant National Science Education Standards
From Science as Inquiry—Content Standard A:
Use Technology and Mathematics to Improve Investigations and Communications. Mathematics
is essential in scientific inquiry. Mathematical tools and models guide and improve the posing of
questions, gathering data, constructing explanations and communicating results.
Common Student Errors
Students often are unclear about the effect on the exponent when the decimal point is “moved”
right or left. The value of the exponent increases by 1 for each place the decimal point is shifted
left; the value of the exponent decreases by 1 for each place the decimal point is shifted right.
When multiplying numbers in scientific notation, students sometimes multiply the exponents
rather than adding them. They have a similar problem when dividing numbers in scientific
notation.
Using the Fundamental Topics in Science Application
To begin the application, press
9
, select
FunSci
, and press any key. The displayed Table of
Contents page shows the last place the student was in
FUNDAMENTAL TOPICS
or
SCIENCE
TOOLS
. The student may need to press
Ã
UP
Ä
one or more times to go to the Science Chapters
Table of Contents and then select
1:FUNDAMENTAL TOPICS
,
3:SCIENTIFIC NOTATION
,
1:INTRODUCTION
to begin. You may need to tell students how to navigate the application, if they
are not yet familiar with it, or print Navigating Fundamental Topics in Science on pages viii–x of
the Introduction.
Introduction
This section explores—through examples—the need for scientific notation.
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