Re: "Proper" scientific notation

[Lynn Aldrich <laldrich@miseri.edu>]

I actually thought this was a "no-brainer" type of question with an obvious
answer until I read the replies.  It goes to show what is "obvious" to one
person is not "obvious" to another.

So..I'll add my vote to prudent.

The students I see in algebra-trig based intro physics classes who write
answers as they appear on the calculator (graphing or otherwise) are almost
always the ones who do not understand what their answer means.  They are
also the ones who have trouble entering a number written in scientific
notation into a calculator.

Those of us on this list understand the graphing calculator notation, but
I'd be willing to bet lots of the non-science majors in college and lots of
high school students don't understand this notation.

I make students in my courses write the number "correctly".

Lynn

At 01:16 PM 3/8/98 +0000, you wrote:
> This may have been addressed before, but I'd be interested in the 
> opinions of others on the list.
>
> Graphing calculators give answers in scientific notation like:
>   2.5E3
> meaning:
>   2.5 x 10^3 or 2500.
> More and more of my students are beginning to express answers in this 
> format on tests and homework. Should I allow them to do this? My gut 
> feeling is no. One student I recently asked thought that his answer of 
> 2E3 was equal to 8 instead of 2000!
>
> By insisting on having students convert to "standard" notation am I 
> being prudent or old fashioned?
>
> Dave
>
> -- 
> *	David Simmons	St. John's Jesuit High School	*
> *	5901 Airport Hwy	Toledo OH 43615		*
> *		<dsimmon@uoft02.utoledo.edu>		*
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