The Metric System and Scientific notation
Name
ExaTerraGigaMegaKiloHectaDeka-
Name
decicentimillimicronanopico-
Symbol
e
T
G
M
K
H
D
Symbol
d
c
m
µ
n
p
Amounts Greater than 1
Example: bytes of memory (B)
Scientific Notation
Value
18
1 eB = 10 B
1,000,000,000,000,000,000 B
12
1 TB = 10 B
1,000,000,000,000 B
9
1 GB = 10 B
1,000,000,000 B
1 MB = 106 B
1,000,000 B
3
1 KB = 10 B
1,000 B
2
1 HB = 10 B
100 B
1
1 DB = 10 B
10 B
Amounts Less than 1
Example: distance in meters (m)
Scientific notation
1 dm = 10-1 m
1 cm = 10-2 m
1 mm = 10-3 m
1 µm = 10-6 m
1 nm = 10-9 m
1 pm = 10-12 m
First some jokes…
1) 1,000,000 Phones
Value
0.1 m
0.01 m
0.001 m
0.000001 m
0.000000001 m
0.000000000001 m
7) 10-3 pede
2) 10-6 phone
8) 0.01 pede
3) 10 cards
9) 10-12 boo
4) 10-12 lo
10) 2,000 MOCKINGBIRD
5) 1012 bull
11) 10-6 wave
6) 10-1 mate
12) Can you think of any?
13) How many meters are there in:
18) An average person’s hair will grow
0.01 meters in one month.
a. 2 kilometers
a. Write this value in scientific notation.
b. 230 kilometers
c. 4,500,000 millimeters
14) How many seconds are there
in 1.5 x 103 milliseconds?
b. Record the value using an appropriate
metric system prefix.
19) The average distance from the Earth
to the sun is 150,000,000,000 meters.
a. Write this value in scientific notation.
15) The radius of a typical carbon atom is
0.000000000070 meters.
a. Write this value in scientific notation
b. Record the value using an appropriate
metric system prefix.
b. Record the value using an appropriate
metric system prefix.
20) The speed of light is 3.00 x 108 m/s.
a. Write this value out
16) The diameter of a typical water
droplet that makes up a cloud is 100
micrometers.
a. What is this radius in meters?
b. Write this value in scientific notation
b. Record the value using an appropriate
metric system prefix.
c. *How many meters will light travel in
one year? Record your answer in scientific
notation.
d.
17) The Cirrus clouds are formed 9 km
above the Earth’s surface.
a. What is this distance in meters?
21) There are now 7 billion people on
Earth.
a. Write this value in scientific notation
b. Write this value in scientific notation
b. Record the value using an appropriate
metric system prefix.