Scientific Notation to the Rescue

Robertson provides background for using Scientific Notation and large numbers and logarithms. Students often ask, “When are we ever going to use this?” In years past, I’ve shared this ar... See More

Robertson provides background for using Scientific Notation and large numbers and logarithms. Students often ask, “When are we ever going to use this?” In years past, I’ve shared this article with my middle school students so they can see how Scientists use Scientific Notation, Logarithms and Math in the real world. The article is a quick read, but provides students with an understanding of how Science and Math work together.

Too Many Zeroes

Logarithms and significant figures can really mess up a student’s understanding of measurements especially if they are not taking higher level math courses such as those offered in high scho... See More

Logarithms and significant figures can really mess up a student’s understanding of measurements especially if they are not taking higher level math courses such as those offered in high school. So when numbers are too great to handle these confusing mathematical numbers scientists use more easily understood units like those of light years to measure distance and a Richter scale to measure exponential multiples of an event. While this is a bit lofty for teachers to read, I think it warrants the time to do so.