How to Convert Exponents

Scientific notation is often used in calculations of larger values. Scientific notation is number shorthand that uses a reduced amount for the leading coefficient, then multiplying by 10 raised to a certain power. Changing a number between scientific notation and its regular form requires converting the exponent from standard to simplified expressions. Knowing how to convert the a number from its scientific notation form to its simplified numerical form can make mathematical operations with large numbers simpler to calculate and understand.

Instructions

1. Raise the second part of the number by its exponent. For example, if the scientific notation of the number is 3.6 * 10^5, then raise the number 10 to the fifth power, which is 10*10*10*10*10 or 100,000.

2. Multiply the two parts of the number together. For the example, 3.6 multiplied by 100,000 equals 360,000.

3. Place a decimal after the first number and multiply that number by 10 to the number of jumps the decimal place made to the right to convert back to scientific notation. For example, change 2,400,000 to 2.4 and multiply it by 10^6, for six jumps. The scientific notation for 2,400,000 is therefore 2.4 * 10^6.

References

• Purple Math: Exponents, Scientific Notation
• Scientific Notation to Decimal Converter