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Re: [Phys-l] scientific notation

Forum for Physics Educators <phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu> writes:
Hummm... Isn't 1.0 x 10 ^-1 just 1? which is not really the same
thing as 10 x 10^-2 - is it? Or do you really mean 10 raised to the -2
power?

Of course the above is wrong... ( I need to stop replying after a tiring
day..)

What I meant to say... is 1.0^-1 is 1 not 1.0 x 10 ^-1 = 1 . I
see students get the notation confused on a regular basis. I am becoming
convinced that it is contagious...) More often than I want to think
about, I see home work where the speed of light is written as 3^8. They
don't see the E on the calculator as having any meaning other than
Exponent.

Apologies for the erroneous reply. Didn't mean to cause a fire storm.


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