operations on scientific notation

To multiply and divide, we multiply and divide the mantissas and the powers of ten and write the result in scientific notation at the end:


To add and subtract, we need the same exponent:

Exercise: calculate:

a)  3.5·10¹² + 1.22·10¹¹ =

b) 5·10^-3 - 4·10^-4 = 

c) 3.3·10¹¹· 5·10¹⁰ =

d) 1.8·10^-3: 6·10^-9 =

Solutions: a) 3.622·10¹²; b) 4.6·10^-3; c) 1.65·10²²; d) 3·10⁵