When determining the quotient of two numbers written in scientific notation,

the base numbers and
the exponents of the powers of ten.
add
subtract
multipy
divide

1 answer

When determining the quotient of two numbers written in scientific notation, you will divide the base numbers and subtract the exponents of the powers of ten.

For instance, if you have two numbers in scientific notation:

\[ A = a \times 10^m \quad \text{and} \quad B = b \times 10^n \]

where \( a \) and \( b \) are the base numbers, and \( m \) and \( n \) are the exponents, then the quotient \( \frac{A}{B} \) is calculated as follows:

\[ \frac{A}{B} = \frac{a}{b} \times 10^{m-n} \]

So to summarize:

  • Divide the base numbers: \( \frac{a}{b} \)
  • Subtract the exponents: \( m - n \)