Lesson 13 81

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Lesson 13: Comparison of Numbers Written

in Scientific Notation and Interpreting
Scientific Notation Using
Technology
Student Outcomes

Students compare numbers expressed in scientific notation.

Students apply the laws of exponents to interpret data and use technology to compute
with very large numbers.

Classwork
Examples 12/ Exercises 12(10 minutes)
Concept Development: We have learned why scientific notation is indispensable in science.
This means that we have to learn how to compute and compare numbers in scientific notation.
We have already done some computations, so we are ready to take a closer look at comparing
the size of different numbers.

There is a general principle that underlies the comparison of two numbers in

scientific notation: Reduce everything to whole numbers if possible. To this end, we
recall two basic facts.
1.

Inequality (A) in Lesson 7: Let

Then
2.

x< y

if and only if

xz < yz

and

be numbers and let

z> 0

Comparison of whole numbers:

a.

If two whole numbers have different numbers of digits, then the

Example 1
Among the galaxies closest to Earth, M82 is about
is about

1.15 10

light-years away, and Leo I Dwarf

8.2 105 light-years away. Which is closer?

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First solution: This is the down-to-earth, quick, and direct solution. The number
5

8.2 10

equals the

equals the

6 -digit number 820,000 . On the other hand, 1.15 107

8 -digit number 11,500,000 . By ( 2 a), above, 8.2 105 <1.15 107 .

Therefore, Leo I Dwarf is closer.

Second Solution: This solution is for the long haul, that is, the solution that works every
time no matter how large (or small) the numbers become. First, we express both numbers
as a product with the same power of

MP.
8

10 . Since 107=10 2 105 , we see that the

distance to M82 is

1.15 102 105=115 105 .

Scaffold:

The distance
to Leo I Dwarf5 is 8.2 10 . By ( 1 ) above, comparing
7
1.15 10 and 8.2 10 is equivalent to comparing 115 and
8.2 . Since 8.2<115 , we see that 8.2 105 <1.15 107 . Thus, the
Leo I Dwarf is closer.

Display the second

solution.
Guide students
through solution.

Exercise 1
Students complete Exercise 1 independently, using the logic modeled in the second solution.
Exercise 1
The Fornax Dwarf galaxy is

2.430 106

is

4.6 10

light-years away from Earth, while Andromeda I

light-years away from Earth. Which is closer to Earth?

2.430 106=2.430 10 105=24.30 10 5

Because

4.6< 24.30
5

, then
6

24.30 10 =2.430 10

4.6 105< 24.30 105

, we know that

, and since
5

4.6 10 < 2.430 10

. Therefore,

Fornax Dwarf is closer to Earth.

Example 2
Background information for teacher: The next example brings us back to the world of subatomic
particles. In the early 20th century, the picture of elementary particles was straightforward:
electrons, protons, neutrons, and photons were the fundamental constituents of matter. But in
the

1930 s, positrons, mesons, and neutrinos were discovered, and subsequent developments

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rapidly increased the number of subatomic particle types

observed. Many of these newly observed particle types
are extremely short-lived (see Example 2 below and
Exercise 2). The so-called Standard Model developed
during the latter part of the last century finally restored
some order, and it is now theorized that different kinds of
quarks and leptons are the basic constituents of matter.

Theorem Scaffold:

Remind students about order of

magnitude.

Remind them that if

there is a positive integer

Many subatomic particles are unstable: charged pions

that

8
have an average lifetime of 2.603 10
seconds, while

muons have an average lifetime of

m<n , then
so

n=k +m . Therefore, by the

first law of exponents (10),

2.197 10

b 10 n=b 10 k 10 m=( b 10k ) 10m .

seconds. Which has a longer average lifetime?

We follow the same method as the second solution in

Example 1. We have

2.197 106 =2.197 102 108=219.7 108 .

Therefore, comparing
with

219.7

(by (

2.603 10

with

Point out that we just spent time on

forcing numbers that were
expressed in scientific notation to
have the same power of

2.197 10

10 ,

2.603

is equivalent to comparing

1 ) above). Since 2.603<219.7 , we see that 2.603 108 <2.197 106

. Thus, muons have a longer lifetime.

Exercise 2 (3 minutes)
Students complete Exercise 2 independently.
Exercise 2
The average lifetime of the tau lepton is
lifetime of the neutral pion is

2.906 1013

17

8.4 10

seconds, and the average

seconds. Explain which subatomic particle

has a longer average lifetime.

2.906 1013=2.906 104 1017=29,060 1017

Since

8.4< 29,060

, then

8.4 1017<29,060 1017

29,060 1017 =2.906 1013

, we know that

, and since

8.4 1017<

2.906 1013

Therefore, tau lepton has a longer average lifetime.

This problem, as well as others, can be solved using an alternate method. Our goal is to
make the magnitude of the numbers we are comparing the same, which will allow us to
reduce the comparison to that of whole numbers.
Here is an alternate solution:

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17

8.4 10

13

=8.4 10 10

0.00084< 2.906,

13

=0.00084 10

13

then

0.00084 10

0.00084 1013 =8.4 1017

, we know that

Since

.
13

<2.906 10

, and since

8.4 1017<

2.906 1013

Therefore, tau lepton has a longer average lifetime.

Exploratory Challenge 1/Exercise 3 (8 minutes)

Examples 1 and 2 illustrate the following general fact:

a 10 m and b 10 n . If

MP. Theorem. Given two numbers in scientific notation,

8

m<n , then

a 10 m< b 10n . Allow time for students to discuss, in small groups, how to prove the

theorem.
Exploratory Challenge 1/Exercise 3
Theorem: Given two numbers in scientific notation,

m<n

, then

a 10 < b 10

a 10 m

b 10 n

and

, if

Prove the theorem.

m<n

If

, then there is a positive integer

so that

n=k +m

By the first law of exponents (10) in Lesson 5,

b 10 n=b 10 k 10 m=(b 10k ) 10m

a 10 m

, we know by (1) that we only need to prove

definition of scientific notation,

and

b1

therefore,

, so that

a<10

and also

( b 10 k ) 1 10=10

a 10 m< b 10n

a< ( b 10k )

( b 10 k ) 10

. This proves

. By the

because

a< ( b 10k )

k 1

, and

Explain to students that we know that

a 10

. Because we are comparing with

a<10

because of the statement given that

is a number expressed in scientific notation. That is not enough information

to convince students that

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a<b 10

; therefore, we need to say something about the

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k 1

right side of the inequality. We know that

so that

n=k +m

. We also know that

b1

. Therefore, we can be certain that

a 10 m< ( b 10 k ) 10m

Therefore, by (1),

b 10 n

right side of the inequality as

is a positive integer,

because of the definition of scientific

notation. That means that the minimum possible value of

1 101=10

because

a<b 10k
n=k +m

. Since

, and finally

b 10 k

is

10

because

, we can rewrite the

a 10 m< b 10n

Example 3 (2 minutes)
Compare

1.815 1014

with

1.82 1014 .

Scaffold:

By ( 1 ), we only have to compare 1.815 with 1.82 , and for the

same reason, we only need to compare
Thus, we compare

1.815 10

with

1.82 10

1,815 and 1,820 : clearly 1,815<1,820

Remind students that

it is easier to
compare whole
numbers; thats why
we are multiplying
each number by

(use (

2 b) if you like). Therefore, using ( 1 ) repeatedly,

1,815<1,820 1.815<1.82 1.815 1014 <1.82 1014 .

Exercises 4 and 5 (2 minutes)

Students complete Exercises 4 and 5 independently.
Exercise 4
Compare

9.3 1028

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and

9.2879 1028

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We only need to compare

9.2879 10 4=92,879
93,000>92,879

9.3

and

9.2879

9.3 10 =93,000

and

, so we see that

. Therefore,

9.3 1028 >9.2879 10 28

Exercise 5

5.3 1041 <5.301 1041

Chris said that

5.301

because

5.3

has fewer digits than

. Show that even though his answer is correct, his reasoning is flawed. Show

him an example to illustrate that his reasoning would result in an incorrect answer.
Explain.
Chris is correct that

5.3

and

5.301

(1) above). But,

reason that

5.3 1041 <5.301 1041

, we only need to compare

5.3 103 <5.301 103

5.3 1041 <5.301 1041

, which is equivalent to

, meaning that

and

5.301 103

5,300<5,301

(by

, and this is the

. However, Chriss reasoning would lead to an

reasoning would lead him to conclude that

5.9>5.199

5.3 103

or rather

incorrect answer for a problem that compares

5,900>5,199

, but that is because when we compare

5.9 1041

and

5.199 1041

5.9 1041 <5.199 1041

5.9 103 >5.199 103

5.9 1041 >5.199 1041

. His

, but

. By (1) again,

Exploratory Challenge 2/Exercise 6 (10 minutes)

Students use snapshots of technology displays to determine the exact product of two numbers.
Exploratory Challenge 2/Exercise 6
You have been asked to determine the exact number of Google searches that are made
each year. The only information you are provided is that there are

35,939,938,877

searches performed each week. Assuming the exact same number of searches is
performed each week for the

52

weeks in a year, how many total searches will have

been performed in one year? Your calculator does not display enough digits to get the
exact answer. Therefore, you must break down the problem into smaller parts.
Remember, you cannot approximate an answer because you need to find an exact
answer. Use the screen shots below to help you reach your answer.

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First, I need to rewrite the number of searches for each week using numbers that can be
computed using my calculator.

35,939,938,877=35,939,000,000+938,877
6

35939 10 +938,877
Next, I need to multiply each term of the sum by

52

, using the distributive law.

( 35,939 106 +93 8,877 ) 52=( 35,939 10 6 ) 52+ ( 938,877 52 ) .

By repeated use of the commutative and associative properties, I can rewrite the
problem as

( 35,939 52 ) 106 + ( 938,877 52 ) .

According to the screen shots, I get

1868828 106 +4 8821604=1,868,828,000,000+ 48,821,604

1,868,876,821,604.
Therefore,

1,868,876,821,604

Google searches are performed each year.

Yahoo is another popular search engine. Yahoo receives requests for

1,792,671,335

searches each month. Assuming the same number of searches is performed each month,
how many searches are performed on Yahoo each year? Use the screen shots below to
help determine the answer.

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First, I need to rewrite the number of searches for each month using numbers that can
be computed with my calculator.

1,792,671,335=1,792,000,000+671,335
6

1792 10 +671,335.
Next, I need to multiply each term of the sum by

12

, using the distributive law.

( 1,792 106 +671,335 ) 12=( 1,792 106 ) 12+ ( 671,335 12 ) .

By repeated use of the commutative and associative properties, I can rewrite the
problem as

( 1,792 12 ) 10 6+ ( 671,335 12 ) .
According to the screen shots, I get

21504 106 + 8,056,020=21,504,000,000+8,056,020

21,512,056,020.
Therefore,

21,512,056,020

Yahoo searches are performed each year.

Closing (2 minutes)
Summarize the lesson and Module 1:

Students have completed the lessons on exponential notation, the properties of integer
exponents, magnitude, and scientific notation.

Students can read, write, and operate with numbers expressed in scientific notation,
which is the language of many sciences. Additionally, they can interpret data using
technology.

Exit Ticket (3 minutes)

Fluency Exercise (5 minutes)
Rapid White Board Exchange: Have students respond to your prompts for practice with
operations with numbers expressed in scientific notation using white boards (or other display
options as available). This exercise can be conducted at any point throughout the lesson. The
prompts are listed at the end of the lesson. Refer to the Rapid White Board Exchanges sections
in the Module Overview for directions to administer a Rapid White Board Exchange.

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Name ___________________________________________________

Date____________________

Lesson 13: Comparison of Numbers Written in

Scientific Notation and Interpreting Scientific
Notation Using Technology
Exit Ticket
1. Compare

15

2.01 10

and

13

2.8 10

2. The wavelength of the color red is about

about

4.75 10

. Which number is larger?

6.5 10

m. The wavelength of the color blue is

m. Show that the wavelength of red is longer than the wavelength of

blue.

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Exit Ticket Sample Solutions

1.

2.01 1015

Compare

2.8 1013

and

. Which number is larger?

2.01 1015=2.01 102 1013=201 1013

Since

201>2.8

, we have

201 1013=2.01 1015

15

13

13

201 10 > 2.8 10

, and since

, we conclude

13

2.01 10 > 2.8 10 .

2.

The wavelength of the color red is about

9

4.75 10

about

6.5 109

m. The wavelength of the color blue is

m. Show that the wavelength of red is longer than the wavelength of

blue.
We only need to compare

6.5

and

6.5 109=650 107

and

4.75 109=475 107

650> 475

, so we see that

.
9

6.5 10 > 4.75 10

Therefore,

4.75

Problem Set Sample Solutions

1.

Write out a detailed proof of the fact that, given two numbers in scientific notation,

a 10

and

b 10

Because

a<b

10n >0

, if and only if

a<b

, we can use inequality (A) (i.e., (

necessary conclusions. First, if

. Second, given

a 10 <b 10

a<b

a 10 n< b 10n

by multiplying each side of

Lesson 13:
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) above) twice to draw the

, then by inequality (A),

a 10 n< b 10n

, we can use inequality (A) again to show

a 10 n< b 10n

by

10n

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a.

Let
that

and

be two positive numbers, with no restrictions on their size. Is it true

A 105 < B 105

A 105 < B 105

No, it is not true that

5

A 10 10 < B 10 10

. Using inequality (A), we can write

, which is the same as

10

A < B 10

disprove the statement, all we would need to do is find a value of

exceeds

b.

Now, if

B 10

10

that

A 10

and
5

. To

A 10 < B 10

B 10

are written in scientific notation, is it true that

? Explain.

Yes, since the numbers are written in scientific notation, we know that the

restrictions for

maximum value for

and

1 A<10

are

, when multiplied by

. The minimum value of

1 B<10

and
5

10

. The

, will still be less than

will produce a number at least

105

in

size.

3.

27

1.674927 10

The mass of a neutron is approximately

kg. Recall that the mass of a

proton is
27

1.672622 10

kg. Explain which is heavier.

Since both numbers have a factor of

and

1.672622

27

10

, we only need to look at

. When we multiply each number by

1.674927 106

and

1.672622 106

106

1.674927

, we get

which is the same as

1,674,927

and

1,672,622

Now that we are looking at whole numbers, we can see that

1,674,927>1,672,622

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(by (

b) above), which means that

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27

1.674927 10

27

>1.672622 10

. Therefore, the mass of a neutron is

heavier.

4.

The average lifetime of the Z boson is approximately

4.5 1024

lifetime of a neutral rho meson is approximately

a.

3 1025

seconds, and the average

seconds.

Without using the theorem from todays lesson, explain why the neutral rho meson has a
longer average lifetime.
Since

3 1025=3 101 1024

24

4.5 10
compare

. Based on Example 3 or by use of (

3 101

and

4.5

we multiply each number by

Since

3< 45

, we can compare

, then

, which is the same as

10
25

3 10

3 101 1024

) above, we only need to

0.3

, we get whole numbers

24

<4.5 10

and

and

and

4.5
45

. If
.

. Therefore, the neutral rho

meson has a longer average lifetime.

b.

Approximately how much longer is the lifetime of a neutral rho meson than a Z boson?

45 :3

or

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15

times longer.

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Lesson 13 81

Rapid White Board Exchange: Operations with Numbers Expressed in

Scientific Notation
1.

( 5 10 4 ) =
2.5 109

3.

( 2 109 ) =
1.6 1037

4.

( 1.210 4 ) + ( 2 10 4 ) + ( 2.8 10 4 )
3

2 104
15

5.

7 10
=
9
14 10
5

5 10

6.

4 10 2
=
8
2 10
2 106

7.

( 7 109 ) + ( 6 109 )
2
6.5 10

8.

( 9 104 ) =

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Lesson 13 81

8 .1 10

9.

( 9.3 1010 ) ( 9 1010 ) =

3 109

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