Teacher Downloads
Student Activity Sheet
Answer Sheet

Concepts Used
Forms of Numbers
Significant Digits
Scientific Notation
Measurement

Grade level
Grades 6-9

Subject Areas
Math

NCTM Standards
Numbers and Operations
Measurement
Connections
Technology

NETS*S
1c, 3a, 3b, 3d, 4c, 4d,
6a, 6b, 6d

Scientific Notation 1


Objectives
  • Write large numbers in standard form to 3 significant digits
  • Express large numbers in scientific notation

Lesson Description

Writing numbers in different forms becomes increasingly important to students in the middle years.  In this activity, the students will first express the numbers in standard form using 3 significant digits, thus, 53,284,967,018 becomes 53,300,000,000.  Next this value is written in scientific notation: 5.33 x 10 to the 10th power.

Video instructions are given to students in a brief tutorial as they climb Mt. Everest.  This is included in the Google Earth folder using YouTube videos embedded in the first 8 placemarks.  An internet connection is necessary to view these.  In addition to the Google Earth Kmz of the activity, an activity sheet and answer sheet are also included with the Teacher Downloads.

The Scientific Notation 2 lesson can be used as a follow up for this lesson.  It uses numbers written in scientific notation to calculate products or quotients.


Edited July 2012