Re: [Phys-l] scientific notation

[curtis osterhoudt <flutzpah@yahoo.com>]

I absolutely agree; so did all of the academics. However, the AnyNumber was the base in the original question, not the exponent.   :)




________________________________
From: Brian Whatcott <betwys1@sbcglobal.net>
To: Forum for Physics Educators <phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu>
Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2009 9:03:03 AM
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] scientific notation

curtis osterhoudt wrote:
> [Brian] For Scientific notation for example,
> my touchstone is this equation:
> [AnyNumber]^0 = 1    

>   For me, it is not difficult to spring from 10^0 = 1 to this:  
> 10^-1 = 1/10

> > From this spring board, you will probably agree that  1.0 X 10^-1 = 1.0 
> X 1/10
>
> Brian W
> ======================================================
> [Curtis]
> Where AnyNumber != 0. There was a recent argument bouncing here and
> there through the MathGroup mailing list about this. .....
Here's a plausible progression.....
10 ^1 = 10
10^0.1 = 1.26...
10^0.01 = 1.02...
10^0.001 = 1.00...
10^ 0.0001 = 1.000...
10^0.00001 = 1.0000...

It is CERTAINLY possible to conclude
10^0.000.... = undefined.

...but wouldn't a person who is SciNotation -blind find it helpful to 
consider that
10^0.00000....  =  1.00000.....
     which even a bunch of argumentative academics
with math pretensions would concede is true?   :-)

BrianW
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