First, scientific notation uses numbers between 1 and 10 (almost always with a decimal for this reason), so we have to change 32,700 into a decimal between 1 and 10.

=3.2700

Next, we need to figure out the power of 10 to write after your number. You find this out by counting how many times you moved the decimal:

32,700. ~>3.2700 =4 decimal places

So it will be 10^4 (or 10 with a small 4 exponent)

Therefore, your answer for putting 32,700 into scientific notation will be 3.27×10^4

(you can check your work by putting your answer into a calculator. You should get your first number, for example: 3.27×10^4=32,700)

Here’s a sidenote: if your number is really small, as in .0002345, you will do the same process except the exponent will be negative. So the answer would be 2.345×10^ – 4

This means there is only one number to the left of the decimal point. Everything else goes to the right and is multiplied by some power of 10.

32,700 = 3.27 x 10^4 count from decimal point to end of number

42,340.1 = 4.23401 x 10^4 count to the original decimal point

These are large numbers and you count to the right. If you have small numbers, you get a negative exponent which means count to the left.

.00234 = 2.34 x 10 ^-3 (negative3)

so its three.twenty seven to the fourth power.

how ever many #s are after the first # = ur power.u place the decimal after the #.

for example if u have 148, it would be 1.48x 10 2

if there are no 0s u still write 10.

http://www.chem.tamu.edu/class/fyp/mathrev/mr-scnot.html

you can easily check google, my friend. Thats what its for. 🙂