To write a number in scientific notation, follow these steps:

1. Identify the decimal point's original position in the number. If the number is whole, the decimal is at the end (e.g., 5200 is 5200.0).
2. Determine the direction to move the decimal point :
   • If the number is large (greater than 10), move the decimal point to the left until you have a number between 1 and 10.
   • If the number is small (less than 1), move the decimal point to the right until you have a number between 1 and 10.
3. Count how many places you moved the decimal point. This count becomes the exponent of 10:
   • Moving the decimal left gives a positive exponent.
   • Moving the decimal right gives a negative exponent.
4. Write the number as a product of the decimal number and 10 raised to the exponent :

Scientific notation=m×10n\text{Scientific notation}=m\times 10^nScientific notation=m×10n

where mmm is the decimal number between 1 and 10, and nnn is the integer exponent.

Example 1: Large number
5200 → move decimal 3 places left → 5.2 × 10³ Example 2: Small number
0.000055 → move decimal 5 places right → 5.5 × 10⁻⁵ You can write scientific notation in different formats:

• 5.2×1035.2\times 10^35.2×103
• 5.2 x 10^3 (using caret symbol)
• 5.2e3 (common in calculators and programming)

This method simplifies working with very large or very small numbers by reducing them to a manageable decimal multiplied by a power of ten.