Question

How to write the following things:
million billion trillion quadrillion zillion gazillion

Answer 1

The use of scientific notation is essential for simplifying the representation of large numbers like $79.2 billion, which is written as
`$7.92 * 10^(10)`. This notation, combined with consistent SI units, is especially useful in fields like astronomy, where very large distances are commonplace.

Step-by-step explanation:

When dealing with very large numbers in mathematics and science, we often use scientific notation as a form of shorthand. For instance, the number $79.2 billion is equivalent to $79,200,000,000. In scientific notation, this can be expressed as
`$7.92 * 10^(10)`. Scientific notation helps us simplify calculations and makes it easier to understand big numbers without counting multiple zeros.

Writing Large Numbers in Scientific Notation

• To write 306,000,000 in scientific notation, we would express it as
  `3.06 * 10^8`.
• The number 0.0000558 would be written as 5.58 × 10^{-5} with two significant figures.
• In the case of very large distances in astronomy, such as the Earth being 150,000,000,000 meters from the Sun, using scientific notation becomes crucial. This distance would be noted as
  `1.5 * 10^(11)` meters.

Using Metric SI Units

Alongside scientific notation, scientists often use the metric International System of Units, or SI, to keep measurements consistent. Combining SI units with scientific notation is an efficient way to work with extremely large or small values.