Here are some resources for understanding scientific notation, prefixes, and chemical symbols three tools that are used extensively in the process of shipping radioactive materials by air.
Scientific Notation
Scientific notation is the way that scientists easily handle very large numbers or very small numbers. For example, instead of writing 0.0000000056, we write 5.6 x 10–9. So, how does this work?
We can think of 5.6 x 10–9 as the product of two numbers: 5.6 (the digit term) and 10–9 (the exponential term).
Here are some examples of scientific notation.
10000 = 1 x 104 | 24327 = 2.4327 x 104 |
1000 = 1 x 103 | 7354 = 7.354 x 103 |
100 = 1 x 102 | 482 = 4.82 x 102 |
10 = 1 x 101 | 89 = 8.9 x 101 (not usually done) |
1 = 100 | |
1/10 = 0.1 = 1 x 10–1 | 0.32 = 3.2 x 10–1 (not usually done) |
1/100 = 0.01 = 1 x 10–2 | 0.053 = 5.3 x 10–2 |
1/1000 = 0.001 = 1 x 10–3 | 0.0078 = 7.8 x 10–3 |
1/10000 = 0.0001 = 1 x 10–4 | 0.00044 = 4.4 x 10–4 |
As you can see, the exponent of 10 is the number of places the decimal point must be shifted to give the number in long form. A positive exponent shows that the decimal point is shifted that number of places to the right. A negative exponent shows that the decimal point is shifted that number of places to the left.
SI Prefixes
Symbol | Prefix | 10n | Short scale | Decimal equivalent in SI writing style | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Y | yotta | 1024 | Septillion | 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 | |
Z | zetta | 1021 | Sextillion | 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 | |
E | exa | 1018 | Quintillion | 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 | |
P | peta | 1015 | Quadrillion | 1 000 000 000 000 000 | |
T | tera | 1012 | Trillion | 1 000 000 000 000 | |
G | giga | 109 | Billion | 1 000 000 000 | |
M | mega | 106 | Million | 1 000 000 | |
k | kilo | 103 | Thousand | 1 000 | |
h | hecto | 102 | Hundred | 100 | |
da | deca, deka | 101 | Ten | 10 | |
(none) | (none) | 100 | One | 1 | |
d | deci | 10−1 | Tenth | 0.1 | |
c | centi | 10−2 | Hundredth | 0.01 | |
m | milli | 10−3 | Thousandth | 0.001 | |
µ (u) | micro | 10−6 | Millionth | 0.000 001 | |
n | nano | 10−9 | Billionth | 0.000 000 001 | |
p | pico | 10−12 | Trillionth | 0.000 000 000 001 | |
f | femto | 10−15 | Quadrillionth | 0.000 000 000 000 001 | |
a | atto | 10−18 | Quintillionth | 0.000 000 000 000 000 001 | |
z | zepto | 10−21 | Sextillionth | 0.000 000 000 000 000 000 001 | |
y | yocto | 10−24 | Septillionth | 0.000 000 000 000 000 000 000 001 |
Chemical Symbols listed Alphabetically
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