Final answer:
Scientific notation is a way to express very large or very small numbers using powers of 10. It simplifies arithmetic and provides a compact representation of numbers.
Step-by-step explanation:
Scientific notation is a way to express numbers as the product of two numbers: a coefficient and the number 10 raised to a power. It is used to express very large or very small numbers in a convenient way. For example, the distance from Earth to the Sun is about 150,000,000,000 meters, which can be written as 1.5 x 10^11 m in scientific notation. The coefficient is the number before the power of 10, and it must be a number greater than or equal to 1 and less than 10.
Scientific notation is helpful because it simplifies arithmetic and allows for easier multiplication and division of numbers expressed as powers of ten. To multiply two numbers in scientific notation, you multiply the coefficients and add the exponents. For example, (3 x 10^5) x (2 x 10^0) = 6 x 10^5. Division works in a similar way, but you subtract the exponents.
In summary, scientific notation is a way to express very large or very small numbers using powers of 10. It allows for easier calculations and provides a compact representation of numbers.