Math Is Fun Forum

DaveRobinsonUK

Member

Registered: 2010-04-24

Posts: 123

Scientific Notation

Hi Guys

I have something that has been bothering me for a few months now and the other day it popped up on a problem I was working on. The actual maths in terms of arithmetic operations was straight forward enough, but the solution was to be given in the correct units and I wasn't sure what they should be.

The example was as follows

where

,

and

The thing I have been wondering about is why some units are

and others

. Does it mean the order of the derivative taken to calculate it?

Thanks in advance.

David

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Can feel it coming together.. Slowly but Surely

bobbym

bumpkin

From: Bumpkinland

Registered: 2009-04-12

Posts: 109,606

Re: Scientific Notation

Hi Dave;

Did we get the same answer?

rounded to 6.0 because of significant digit rules.

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In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.

ZHero

Real Member

Registered: 2008-06-08

Posts: 1,889

Re: Scientific Notation

ms[sup]-1[/sup] is same as m/s and so on...
no derivatives

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If two or more thoughts intersect, there has to be a point!

DaveRobinsonUK

Member

Registered: 2010-04-24

Posts: 123

Re: Scientific Notation

Hi Bobby and ZHero

Yes, I got

, it asked for the answer to 3d.p.

How is it that s is -2 though kg is -1. Does it just denote that m/s is a ratio and kg is a definite unit?

---

Can feel it coming together.. Slowly but Surely

bobbym

bumpkin

From: Bumpkinland

Registered: 2009-04-12

Posts: 109,606

Re: Scientific Notation

Hi David;

Did you get the same units I did? 5.962 is 4 significant digits. Question is slightly off. You can never get more significant digits that than the least accurate input. In this case 9.8 is the least precise input with 2 significant digits. Therefore all rounding if I remember correctly is to 2 significant digits.

m/s is read meters per second.

---

In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.

ZHero

Real Member

Registered: 2008-06-08

Posts: 1,889

Re: Scientific Notation

How is it that s is -2 though kg is -1. Does it just denote that m/s is a ratio and kg is a definite unit?

s is -2 coz its meter per second squared (unit of acceleration).

understand it like this..

As you can see, it appears to be a ratio but is rather a "Rate of Change w.r.t Time"!

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If two or more thoughts intersect, there has to be a point!

DaveRobinsonUK

Member

Registered: 2010-04-24

Posts: 123

Re: Scientific Notation

Hi Bobby

Thanks for that, I didn't know about the accuracy. That's handy to know and makes sense too, kind of like Amdahls's Law for functions, although none of my tutors have ever mentioned it.

Just shows you that you should always consult others rather than taking one persons word for it.

---

Can feel it coming together.. Slowly but Surely

bobbym

bumpkin

From: Bumpkinland

Registered: 2009-04-12

Posts: 109,606

Re: Scientific Notation

Hi Dave;

That's the general way with experimental data. Although you can ask for decimal points too.

---

In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.

DaveRobinsonUK

Member

Registered: 2010-04-24

Posts: 123

Re: Scientific Notation

Ahh

I see now.

Unit for Acceleration (m/s)/s

Derived units.

Cool, happy now

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Can feel it coming together.. Slowly but Surely

bobbym

bumpkin

From: Bumpkinland

Registered: 2009-04-12

Posts: 109,606

Re: Scientific Notation

How was Corsica!

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In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.

ZHero

Real Member

Registered: 2008-06-08

Posts: 1,889

Re: Scientific Notation

DERIVED UNITS!!!!

that's Exactly what you call them!!

I had forgotten he he . .

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If two or more thoughts intersect, there has to be a point!

DaveRobinsonUK

Member

Registered: 2010-04-24

Posts: 123

Re: Scientific Notation

It was great, until I was literally handing my passport over to the baggage handler when a woman leant over and wispered in her ear. She then said that all flights from Corsica to UK we cancelled for at least a week. There was a huge panic and a run on the airline desk. Luckily we have a house over there, so we just went home and had an extended holiday.

Took Emma to the beach everyday and made sand castles, and studied logarithms in the afternoons. Log fires in the evenings. Very nice

You off anywhere this year?

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Can feel it coming together.. Slowly but Surely

bobbym

bumpkin

From: Bumpkinland

Registered: 2009-04-12

Posts: 109,606

Re: Scientific Notation

Nope, no trips planned. So you had logs and logarithms. An extra week, sounds great.

---

In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.

DaveRobinsonUK

Member

Registered: 2010-04-24

Posts: 123

Re: Scientific Notation

:P

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Can feel it coming together.. Slowly but Surely

bobbym

bumpkin

From: Bumpkinland

Registered: 2009-04-12

Posts: 109,606

Re: Scientific Notation

Correct!

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In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.

leealden06

Member

Registered: 2010-09-06

Posts: 4

Re: Scientific Notation

Scientific notation, also known as standard form or in exponential notation, is a way of writing numbers, which can contain values for large or small to be easily written in standard notation decimal notation.Scientific was developed to easily represent numbers are either very large or very small.Sometimes, especially when you use a calculator, you can come up with a very wide range.

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jet tec cartridge

Bob

Administrator

Registered: 2010-06-20

Posts: 10,621

Re: Scientific Notation

Hi Dave

Your log fire reminded me of the following:

bob

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Children are not defined by school ...........The Fonz
You cannot teach a man anything;  you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo Galilei
Sometimes I deliberately make mistakes, just to test you!  …………….Bob

DaveRobinsonUK

Member

Registered: 2010-04-24

Posts: 123

Re: Scientific Notation

Hi Bob
Sorry for the delay, been a while since my last post.

Love it :---- houseboat

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Can feel it coming together.. Slowly but Surely