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#1 2010-05-31 16:27:49
- DaveRobinsonUK
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Scientific Notation
Hi Guys
I have something that has been bothering me for a few months now and the other day it popped up on a problem I was working on. The actual maths in terms of arithmetic operations was straight forward enough, but the solution was to be given in the correct units and I wasn't sure what they should be.
The example was as follows
The thing I have been wondering about is why some units are and others . Does it mean the order of the derivative taken to calculate it?
Thanks in advance.
David
Can feel it coming together.. Slowly but Surely
#2 2010-05-31 16:44:02
- bobbym
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Re: Scientific Notation
Hi Dave;
Did we get the same answer?
rounded to 6.0 because of significant digit rules.
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
Probability is the most important concept in modern science, especially as nobody has the slightest notion what it means.
90% of mathematicians do not understand 90% of currently published mathematics.
#4 2010-05-31 17:05:45
- DaveRobinsonUK
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Re: Scientific Notation
Hi Bobby and ZHero
Yes, I got
How is it that s is -2 though kg is -1. Does it just denote that m/s is a ratio and kg is a definite unit?
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#5 2010-05-31 17:08:52
- bobbym
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Re: Scientific Notation
Hi David;
Did you get the same units I did? 5.962 is 4 significant digits. Question is slightly off. You can never get more significant digits that than the least accurate input. In this case 9.8 is the least precise input with 2 significant digits. Therefore all rounding if I remember correctly is to 2 significant digits.
m/s is read meters per second.
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
Probability is the most important concept in modern science, especially as nobody has the slightest notion what it means.
90% of mathematicians do not understand 90% of currently published mathematics.
#6 2010-05-31 17:49:29
- ZHero
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Re: Scientific Notation
DaveRobinsonUK wrote:
How is it that s is -2 though kg is -1. Does it just denote that m/s is a ratio and kg is a definite unit?
s is -2 coz its meter per second squared (unit of acceleration).
understand it like this..
As you can see, it appears to be a ratio but is rather a "Rate of Change w.r.t Time"!
If two or more thoughts intersect with each other, then there has to be a point.
#7 2010-05-31 18:02:12
- DaveRobinsonUK
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Re: Scientific Notation
Hi Bobby
Thanks for that, I didn't know about the accuracy. That's handy to know and makes sense too, kind of like Amdahls's Law for functions, although none of my tutors have ever mentioned it.
Just shows you that you should always consult others rather than taking one persons word for it.
Can feel it coming together.. Slowly but Surely
#8 2010-05-31 18:03:50
- bobbym
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Re: Scientific Notation
Hi Dave;
That's the general way with experimental data. Although you can ask for decimal points too.
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
Probability is the most important concept in modern science, especially as nobody has the slightest notion what it means.
90% of mathematicians do not understand 90% of currently published mathematics.
#9 2010-05-31 18:25:05
- DaveRobinsonUK
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Re: Scientific Notation
Ahh
I see now.
Unit for Acceleration (m/s)/s
Derived units.
Cool, happy now
Can feel it coming together.. Slowly but Surely
#10 2010-05-31 18:26:10
- bobbym
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Re: Scientific Notation
How was Corsica!
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
Probability is the most important concept in modern science, especially as nobody has the slightest notion what it means.
90% of mathematicians do not understand 90% of currently published mathematics.
#12 2010-05-31 19:17:42
- DaveRobinsonUK
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Re: Scientific Notation
It was great, until I was literally handing my passport over to the baggage handler when a woman leant over and wispered in her ear. She then said that all flights from Corsica to UK we cancelled for at least a week. There was a huge panic and a run on the airline desk. Luckily we have a house over there, so we just went home and had an extended holiday.
Took Emma to the beach everyday and made sand castles, and studied logarithms in the afternoons. Log fires in the evenings. Very nice
You off anywhere this year?
Can feel it coming together.. Slowly but Surely
#13 2010-05-31 19:20:35
- bobbym
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Re: Scientific Notation
Nope, no trips planned. So you had logs and logarithms. An extra week, sounds great.
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
Probability is the most important concept in modern science, especially as nobody has the slightest notion what it means.
90% of mathematicians do not understand 90% of currently published mathematics.
#14 2010-05-31 19:21:07
- DaveRobinsonUK
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Re: Scientific Notation
Can feel it coming together.. Slowly but Surely
#15 2010-05-31 19:23:56
- bobbym
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Re: Scientific Notation
Correct!
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
Probability is the most important concept in modern science, especially as nobody has the slightest notion what it means.
90% of mathematicians do not understand 90% of currently published mathematics.
#16 2010-09-07 21:31:42
- leealden06
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Re: Scientific Notation
Scientific notation, also known as standard form or in exponential notation, is a way of writing numbers, which can contain values for large or small to be easily written in standard notation decimal notation.Scientific was developed to easily represent numbers are either very large or very small.Sometimes, especially when you use a calculator, you can come up with a very wide range.
#18 2010-09-10 22:22:27
- DaveRobinsonUK
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Re: Scientific Notation
Hi Bob
Sorry for the delay, been a while since my last post.
Love it :---- houseboat
Can feel it coming together.. Slowly but Surely