Practice: Scientific Notation

Grade 8 Mathematics | Independent Practice

Name:
Date:

Part A: Converting to Scientific Notation

Directions: Write each number in scientific notation. Remember: coefficient must be between 1 and 10.

1. 45,000,000

_______ x 10^_______

2. 0.000023

_______ x 10^_______

3. 6,700,000,000

_______ x 10^_______

4. 0.00000091

_______ x 10^_______

5. 328,000

_______ x 10^_______

6. 0.0052

_______ x 10^_______

Part B: Converting to Standard Form

Directions: Write each number in standard form (regular notation).

7. 3.8 x 10^5

_______________________

8. 7.2 x 10^-4

_______________________

9. 9.05 x 10^7

_______________________

10. 4.6 x 10^-6

_______________________

Part C: Multiplication and Division

Directions: Perform the operation. Write your answer in scientific notation.

11. (4 x 10^5) x (2 x 10^3)

Answer: _______ x 10^_______

12. (9 x 10^8) / (3 x 10^4)

Answer: _______ x 10^_______

13. (5 x 10^3) x (6 x 10^4)

Answer: _______ x 10^_______

14. (8.4 x 10^9) / (2.1 x 10^3)

Answer: _______ x 10^_______

Part D: Comparing Numbers in Scientific Notation

Directions: Compare each pair. Write <, >, or = in the box.
Number 1Number 2
15.   5.2 x 10^6______3.8 x 10^7
16.   9.1 x 10^-4______8.5 x 10^-4
17.   7.3 x 10^5______7.3 x 10^4
18.   2.5 x 10^-3______4.1 x 10^-5

Part E: Word Problems

Directions: Solve each problem. Show your work and express answers in scientific notation.

19. The distance from Earth to the Sun is approximately 93,000,000 miles. Write this distance in scientific notation.

Answer: _______________________

20. A red blood cell has a diameter of about 0.000007 meters. Write this in scientific notation.

Answer: _______________________

21. Light travels at 3 x 10^8 meters per second. How far does light travel in 5 x 10^2 seconds?

Answer: _______________________

22. A computer can perform 8.4 x 10^12 calculations per second. How many calculations can it perform in 2 x 10^3 seconds?

Answer: _______________________

Challenge: Think About It!

23. The mass of Earth is about 5.97 x 10^24 kg. The mass of the Moon is about 7.35 x 10^22 kg. How many times greater is Earth's mass than the Moon's mass?

Answer: _______________________

24. A bacteria cell divides every 20 minutes. If you start with 1 cell (1 x 10^0), how many cells will there be after 6 hours? (Hint: In 6 hours, there are 18 twenty-minute periods, and the number doubles each time, so multiply by 2^18 = 262,144)

Answer: _______________________