How do you add/subtract scientific notation?

[purplepanda]

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Wow, I can't believe I didn't know how to do this but here goes:

How do you add 1.8 x 10^-4 and 7.5 x 10^ -5 ?

Without pulling them out of scientific notation?

Like I know you can do .00018 + .000075 = .000255

But isn't there another way to keep them in scientific notation?

Thank you!!!

 

[drpharMD]

Wow, I can't believe I didn't know how to do this but here goes:

How do you add 1.8 x 10^-4 and 7.5 x 10^ -5 ?

Without pulling them out of scientific notation?

Like I know you can do .00018 + .000075 = .000255

But isn't there another way to keep them in scientific notation?

Thank you!!!

Just try to get the exponents to be the same number:

18 x 10^-5 and 7.5 x 10^-5, or 1.8 x 10^-4 and .75 x 10^-4. Then you are even terms, so it is just simple subtraction.

 

[purplepanda]

oh okay! Thank you so much!