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Scientists use scientific notation because it is a convenient way of handling very large or very small numbers. Chemists, for example, use the idea of a mole, which is approximately 6.022 x 10^23 atoms or molecules of a substance. If we wrote this number out in traditional decimal notation, it would look like 602,200,000,000,000,000,000,000. Many of the constants used in physics and chemistry are also very large or very small numbers. For example, the Planck constant, important in describing the energies of quantized systems, is approximately 6.63 x 10^-34 Js. If we wrote out this number traditionally it would look like 0.000000000000000000000000000000000663.

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Gillian Watsica

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2y ago

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Scientists use scientific notation because it is a convenient way of handling very large or very small numbers. Chemists, for example, use the idea of a mole, which is approximately 6.022 x 10^23 atoms or molecules of a substance. If we wrote this number out in traditional decimal notation, it would look like 602,200,000,000,000,000,000,000. Many of the constants used in physics and chemistry are also very large or very small numbers. For example, the Planck constant, important in describing the energies of quantized systems, is approximately 6.63 x 10^-34 Js. If we wrote out this number traditionally it would look like 0.000000000000000000000000000000000663.

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Wiki User

15y ago
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Anonymous

4y ago
it provided s an easier way to write very large and very small numbers

Scientists use scientific notation to compute very large or very small numbers. Scientists deal in very large numbers and they need a shorthand way of writing them out as for example 999,000,000,000,000,000,000 = 9.99*10^20 in scientific notation.
Because sometimes numbers get really big or really small.
Because sometimes numbers get really big or really small.

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Wiki User

9y ago
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It provides an easier way to write very large and very small numbers. APEX

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jesus cortes

Lvl 3
4y ago
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Q: Why do scientists use scientific notation?
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