Exponents and Scientific Notation

Lesson 14

Math

Unit 1

8th Grade

Lesson 14 of 15

Objective


Add and subtract with numbers in scientific notation.

Common Core Standards


Core Standards

  • 8.EE.A.4 — Perform operations with numbers expressed in scientific notation, including problems where both decimal and scientific notation are used. Use scientific notation and choose units of appropriate size for measurements of very large or very small quantities (e.g., use millimeters per year for seafloor spreading). Interpret scientific notation that has been generated by technology.

Criteria for Success


  1. Determine if two or more numbers written in scientific notation have the same magnitude or place value by looking at the power of 10. 
  2. Re-write numbers to have the same power of 10 in order to add or subtract. 
  3. Distinguish between addition and subtraction problems and comparative or multiplication and division problems.

Tips for Teachers


  • The Target Task is slightly longer than normal and may require some additional time budgeted for it.

Lesson Materials

  • Scientific calculator (1 per student) — These can be handheld or online.
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Anchor Problems

25-30 minutes


Problem 1

Two students are presented with the challenge of adding $${2.5\times10^3}$$ and $${1.3\times10^4}$$. They have just learned how to multiply numbers in scientific notation, and they try out using similar strategies. They get two possible answers:

$${3.8\times10^4}$$    OR     $${3.8\times10^7}$$

 

a.   Explain or show to the students how both of the answers are incorrect.

b.   Why will the strategies used when multiplying numbers in scientific notation not work when adding?

c.   What are some strategies that can be used to solve this problem? Find the sum.

Guiding Questions

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Student Response

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Problem 2

The Great Lakes are a series of freshwater lakes located on the US and Canadian border. Lake Superior has the greatest volume of water with $${3.12\times10^{15}}$$ gallons of water. The smallest lake, by volume of water, is Lake Ontario with $${4.26\times10^{14}}$$ gallons of water.

How many more gallons of water are in Lake Superior than in Lake Ontario?

Guiding Questions

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Student Response

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Problem 3

A water molecule is made up of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom, represented as H2O. One hydrogen atom has a mass of $${1.7\times10^{-27}}$$ kg, and one oxygen atom has a mass of $${2.7\times10^{-26}}$$ kg. 

What is the total mass of a single water molecule?

Guiding Questions

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Student Response

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References

EngageNY Mathematics Grade 8 Mathematics > Module 1 > Topic B > Lesson 9Example 3

Grade 8 Mathematics > Module 1 > Topic B > Lesson 9 of the New York State Common Core Mathematics Curriculum from EngageNY and Great Minds. © 2015 Great Minds. Licensed by EngageNY of the New York State Education Department under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US license. Accessed Dec. 2, 2016, 5:15 p.m..

Problem Set

15-20 minutes


Give your students more opportunities to practice the skills in this lesson with a downloadable problem set aligned to the daily objective.

Target Task

5-10 minutes


A 2020 survey of personal income compared median incomes in different countries. All the data is in US dollars.

a.   Luxembourg had the highest median income per person at $$$1.8\times 10^4$$. Ghana had the smallest median income at $$$4.7\times 10^1$$. How much more is the median income in Luxembourg than in Ghana?

b.   In 2020, Luxembourg had a population of $$6.3\times 10^5$$ while Ghana had a population of $$3.1\times 10^7$$. How many more people are in Ghana than in Luxembourg?

c.   Using the median as a measure of center, on average, which country had a higher total income? Show your reasoning.

Student Response

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Additional Practice


The following resources include problems and activities aligned to the objective of the lesson that can be used for additional practice or to create your own problem set.

  • Include error analysis questions and review of previous concepts and skills from the unit.

Next

Solve multi-step applications using scientific notation and properties of exponents.

Lesson 15
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Lesson Map

A7CB09C2-D12F-4F55-80DB-37298FF0A765

Topic A: Review of Exponents

Topic B: Properties of Exponents

Topic C: Scientific Notation

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