Content description

Investigate very small and very large time scales and intervals (ACMMG219)

Elaboration

• investigating the usefulness of scientific notation in representing very large and very small numbers

Source: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)

Standard form

This is a convenient way to represent large and small numbers. It is often called scientific notation as scientists are constantly using extremely large and extremely small numbers. For example, physicists investigating atomic structure measure very small quantities such 9.1 × \(10^{-31}\) kg the approximate mass of an electron.

On the other hand, space scientists talk about the distance travelled by light in one year which is 9.46 × \(10^{15}\) m.