WEEK 1: STANDARD FORMS

Definition of Standard Form

Standard form (also called scientific notation) is a way of writing very

large or very small numbers more simply. Numbers are grouped into two.

Large and small numbers.

- Numbers greater than or equal to 1 are called large numbers.

- On the other hand, numbers less than 1 are called small numbers.

A number is in standard form when it is written as:

Formula

A * 10^n

Where:

a is a number between 1 and 10.

n is an integer (positive or negative).

Examples of Standard Form

1. Large numbers:

4,500,000 can be written as:

4.5 * 10^6

- Here, 4.5 is the number between 1 and 10, and 6 is the number of
times you move the decimal point.

2. Small numbers:

0.00032 can be written as:

3.2*10^{-4}

- You move the decimal point 4 places to the right to make the number
between 1 and 10, hence the exponent is -4.

Steps to Convert Numbers to Standard Form.

1. For Large Numbers:

- Move the decimal point to the left until you have a number between 1
and 10.

- Count how many places you moved the decimal point. This becomes
your positive exponent of 10.

2. For Small Numbers:

 - Move the decimal point to the right until you have a number between 1
and 10.

- Count how many places you moved the decimal point. This becomes
your negative exponent of 10.

Rules

If you are moving the point to the left it positive(+) exponent

If you are moving the point to the right is a negative(-).

Practice Questions

1. Write 9,800,000 in standard form.

- Solution: 9.8 *10^6

2. Write 0.000067 in standard form.

- Solution: 6.7 * 10^-5

3. Convert 5.32 × 10^4 to a normal number.

- Solution: 53,200

Why Do We Use Standard Form?

Simplification: It simplifies calculations, especially for very large or small

numbers in scientific and mathematical applications.

Space-saving: It’s a compact way of writing numbers in textbooks and

scientific papers.

Sub-topic: Logarithm of Numbers Greater Than One

Definition of Logarithm

A logarithm is the power to which a number (called the base) must be

raised to produce a given number.

In other words logarithm is just a way of asking, “How many times do we

need to multiply 10 to get a number.

The logarithm of a number

𝑥 to a given base 𝑏 is written as:

Log𝑏(𝑥)

This means the power to which the base b must be raised to equal x.

For example, log10100 = 2

Log_{10} 100 = 2

Log10100=2 because 102=100

102 = 100

Types of Logarithms

There are two main types of logarithms that are commonly used:

1. Common Logarithms (Base 10)

Definition: A common logarithm has a base of 10. We use it to find how

many times we need to multiply 10 to get a certain number.

Natural Logarithms (Base e)

• Definition: A natural logarithm has a base of a special number called

e (which is about 2.718). This type of logarithm is used more in
advanced mathematics, science, and economics.

Logarithm table
A logarithm table is like a shortcut tool. It helps you find how many times
you need to multiply 10 to get another number, without doing the hard
math. You just look up the number in the table to get the answer quickly.

Steps to Use the Log Table

Components of a Logarithm

Logarithms have two parts:

• Characteristic: The whole number part.

• Mantissa: The decimal part, which you get from the log table.

(a) Logarithm of 80030

Step 1: Write the Number in Standard Form

80030 is close to 8.003×10^4

So we will find the log of 8.003 and then adjust for the power of 10.

Step 2: Find the Logarithm of 8.003

1. Use the log table for 8.00

The log of 80.0 is approximately: log 8.00 = 0.9031

 2. Now, look at the 3rd digit, which is 3. Find the correction for 3 using
the log table (called mean difference log (80030) = 4 + 0.9036 =
4.9036log(80030)=4+0.9036=4.9036). From the log table, this
correction is

Step 3: Combine the Mantissa

Log (8.003)=0.9031+0.0005 = 0.9036

Step 4: Add the Characteristic

Since 80030=8.003×10^4 then the characteristic is 4:

Log (80030)= 4+0.9036= 4.9036

(b)Logarithm of 8

Step 1: Use the Log Table for 8

From the log table:

Log 8 = 0.9031

Step 2: Add the Characteristic

Since 8 is a single-digit number, the characteristic is 0:

Log 8 = 0+0.9031

(c) Logarithm of 135.80

Step 1: Write the Number in Standard Form

135.80 is close to 1.358 ×10^2, so we will find the log of 1.358 and adjust
for the power of 10.

Step 2: Find the Logarithm of 1.358

1. Use the log table for 1.351. The log of 1.351 approximately: log
1.35= 0.1303

2. Now, find the correction for 8 (3rd digit). From the log table, the
correction for 8 is 4.

Step 3: Combine the Mantissa

Log⁡(1.358)=0.1303+0.0004=0.1307\log (1.358) = 0.1303 + 0.0004 =

0.1307log(1.358)=0.1303+0.0004=0.1307

Step 4: Add the Characteristic

Since 135.80=1.358×10^2, the characteristic is 2:

Log(135.80)=2+0.1307=2.1307
WORKING IN STANDARD FORM

Laws of logarithms.

When dealing with logarithms, some key properties can simplify

calculations:

 Product Rule:
log(a×b) = log a + log b
Example: log(10×100)=log10+log100=1+2=3

log(ab)=log⁡a−log⁡b\log \left( \frac{a}{b} \right) = \log a - \log blog(ba

Quotient Rule:

)=loga−logb

Example: log⁡(100010)=log⁡1000−log⁡10=3−1=2\log \left( \


frac{1000}{10} \right) = \log 1000 - \log 10 = 3 - 1 = 2log(101000
)=log1000−log10=3−1=2

log(an)= n × log a
Power Rule:

log(104) = 4 × log 10 = 4×1= 4

Example:


Example :

Evaluate the following leaving your answer in standard form

(i) 4.72 x 103 + 3.648 x 103

(ii) 6.142 x 105 + 7.32 x 104

(iii) 7.113 x 10-5 - 8.13 x 10-6

Evaluation:

(i)

4.72 ×10^3+ 3.648 ×10^3

Since the powers of 10 are the same, you can simply add the numbers
(coefficients):

4.72 + 3.648 = 8.368

Keep the power of 10:

∴ 8.368 ×10^3

(ii)

6.142×10^5 +7.32×10^4

First, convert the second number to have the same power of 10:

7.32×10^4 =0.732×10^5

Now, add the coefficients:

6.142+0.732=6.874

Keep the power of 10:

∴ 6.874×10^5

(iii)

7.113 ×10^−5 − 8.13 ×10^−6

Convert the second number to have the same power of 10:

8.13×10^−6 = 0.813×10^−5

Now subtract the coefficients:


7.113−0.813=6.3

∴6.3×10−5\therefore 6.3 *10^{-5}

Keep the power of 10:


∴6.3×10−5

Example 2

Simplify : √[P/Q], leaving your answer in standard form given that P = 3.6
x 10-3 and

Q = 4 x 10-8.

Solution

To simplify PQ\sqrt{\frac{P}{Q}}QP given that P=3.6×10−3P = 3.6 \times 10^{-

3}P=3.6×10−3 and Q=4×10−8Q = 4 \times 10^{-8}Q=4×10−8, we can follow these steps:
Step 1: Substitute the Values of P and Q
Substituting the values into the expression:
3.6×10−34×10−8\sqrt{\frac{3.6 \times 10^{-3}}{4 \times 10^{-
8}}}4×10−83.6×10−3

Step 2: Simplify the Fraction Inside the Square Root

To simplify 3.6×10−34×10−8\frac{3.6 \times 10^{-3}}{4 \times 10^{-8}}4×10−83.6×10−3,
we can divide the coefficients and subtract the exponents of 10:
 1. Divide the coefficients:
3.64=0.9\frac{3.6}{4} = 0.943.6=0.9
2. Subtract the exponents:
10−3÷10−8=10−3−(−8)=10−3+8=10510^{-3} \div 10^{-8} =
10^{-3 - (-8)} = 10^{-3 + 8} = 10^{5}10−3÷10−8=10−3−
(−8)=10−3+8=105
So, the expression simplifies to:
3.6×10−34×10−8=0.9×105\frac{3.6 \times 10^{-3}}{4 \times 10^{-
8}} = 0.9 \times 10^{5}4×10−83.6×10−3=0.9×105

Step 3: Combine the Results

Now, we can write the simplified fraction as:
0.9×1050.9 *10^{5}0.9×105

Step 4: Take the Square Root

Now we take the square root of the entire expression:
0.9×105=0.9×105\sqrt{0.9 \times 10^{5}} = \sqrt{0.9} \times \
sqrt{10^{5}} 0.9×105=0.9×105

Calculating Each Part

1. Calculate 0.9\sqrt{0.9}0.9:
0.9≈0.9487 (approximately)\sqrt{0.9} \approx 0.9487 \
text{ (approximately)}0.9≈0.9487 (approximately)
2. Calculate 105\sqrt{10^{5}}105:
105=105/2=102.5=102×100.5=100×10\sqrt{10^{5}} =
10^{5/2} = 10^{2.5} = 10^{2} \times 10^{0.5} = 100 \times \
sqrt{10}105=105/2=102.5=102×100.5=100×10
o Here, 10≈3.1623\sqrt{10} \approx 3.162310≈3.1623.
So,

10^2.5 ≈

100

3.1623

316.23

10

2.5

≈100×3.1623=316.23
Step 5: Combine Both Results

Now, combining:

0.9 ×10^5 ≈ 0.9487 × 316.23

Calculating the product:

0.9487×316.23 ≈ 300

Thus, we can express the final answer in standard form as:

≈ 3.00 × 10^2

Final Answer

So, the simplified expression is:

𝑃𝑄 ≈ 3.00 ×10^2

SUBTOPIC:
MULTIPLICATION AND DIVISION OF NUMBERS GREATER THAN
ONE USING LOGARITHMS
When we use logarithms to simplify multiplication and division of large
numbers, we convert the operations into addition (for multiplication) and
subtraction (for division), making them easier to handle.
Multiplication Using Logarithms
Key Idea:
When multiplying two numbers, instead of directly multiplying them, we use the logarithms
of those numbers. The product of two numbers can be found by adding their logarithms and
then finding the antilog.
Steps for Multiplication:
To multiply two numbers A and B using logarithms:
Log A×B = log A + log B
Example: Multiply 45 and 250(45×250) using logarithms.
Step 1: Find the logarithms

Log 45 ≈ 1.6532
 From the log table:

Log 250 ≈ 2.3979

Log (45×250) = 1.6532 + 2.3979 = 4.0511
Find the antilog
Antilog (4.0511) ≈112500

Thus, 45×250 =11250

Division Using Logarithms
Key Idea:
When dividing two numbers, we use logarithms to convert division into subtraction. The
quotient of two numbers can be found by subtracting their logarithms and then finding the
antilog.
Steps for Division:
To divide two numbers
𝐴 and B using logarithms:
A÷B=10 logA−logB
Example: Divide 900 by 30 ( 900 ÷30) using logarithms.