Scientific Notation Worksheets

Sample problems

1. Write 4 200 and 0.00056 in scientific notation.
2. Write 3 × 10⁶ as an ordinary number.
3. Write 7 × 10⁻² as an ordinary number.
4. Is 34 × 10⁴ in scientific notation? If not, rewrite it.

Common mistakes to watch for

• Wrote 65 × 10⁵, which is the right number in the wrong form; or gave −2000 for the negative power.
• Multiplied the powers to get 10¹⁵, or added the coefficients.
• Answered 7 × 10¹⁰. This is a real law used outside its conditions, so the child has a reason and needs the conditions named rather than the rule repeated. Expanding to ordinary numbers is the fastest correction.

The answer key explains each one, so you can tell what a wrong answer means.