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Powers of 10

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Powers of 10
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.A.2

Basics on the topic Powers of 10

Understanding Powers of Ten – Introduction

The universe is an ever-changing landscape as technology allows us to discover more galaxies. Currently, the observable universe measures about ninety-four BILLION light years, with approximately TRILLIONS of galaxies inside it. When studying the universe, we can help calculate these distances by using powers of ten.

What Are Powers of Ten?

Our number system is based on groups of ten. Powers of ten are a way to express or show large numbers more easily. A power of ten is when we multiply ten by itself any given number of times.

Let's explore powers of ten with some examples.

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Understanding Powers of Ten – Examples

Example 1:

Problem: Write ten to the second power in expanded and standard forms. The power tells us how many times we will multiply ten by itself.

Steps to Solve the Problem:

Step # Action Expression
1 Write the base number (ten). 10
2 Multiply ten by itself twice. 10 × 10
3 Simplify the expression. 100
4 Write in standard form. 100

Solution: $10^{2}$ (ten to the second power) equals 100.

Example 2:

Problem: Write ten to the sixth power in expanded and standard forms.

Steps to Solve the Problem:

Step # Action Expression
1 Write the base number (ten). 10
2 Multiply ten by itself six times. 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10
3 Simplify the expression. 1,000,000
4 Write in standard form. 1,000,000

Solution: $10^{6}$ (ten to the sixth power) equals 1,000,000.

Understanding Powers of Ten – Application

Now, let's put your skills to the test. Solve these problems on your own, and check the solutions when you're ready!

Write ten to the third power in expanded and standard forms.
Write ten to the fourth power in expanded and standard forms.
Write ten to the fifth power in expanded and standard forms.
Write ten to the seventh power in expanded and standard forms.
Write ten to the eighth power in expanded and standard forms.

Understanding Powers of Ten – Summary

Key Learnings from this Text:

  • Powers of ten are a convenient way to express large numbers by combining the base number, ten, and an exponent.
  • The exponent indicates how many times to multiply the base number by itself.
  • The patterns created by the exponents help us understand the relationship between the expanded form and the standard form.
  • Powers of ten make large numbers, such as distances to distant galaxies, easier to write and calculate.

Keep practicing these steps, and you'll become a pro at understanding and using powers of ten! Check out more fun math challenges and exercises on our website to continue sharpening your skills.

Understanding Powers of Ten – Frequently Asked Questions

What is a power of ten?
How do exponents work?
What is the expanded form of $10^{4}$?
How do you write ten to the fifth power in standard form?
Why do we use powers of ten?
How many zeros are in $10^{6}$?
What is $10^{3}$ in standard form?
How do you read $10^{2}$?
How do powers of ten relate to the observable universe?
Can powers of ten be used for small numbers?

Transcript Powers of 10

The universe is an ever-changing landscape as technology allows us to discover more galaxies. As of now, the observable universe measures about ninety-four BILLION light years with approximately TRILLIONS of galaxies inside of it. When studying the universe, we can help calculate these distances by using... Powers of Ten Our number system is based on groups of ten. Math problems in higher grades frequently use large numbers, such as distances to other galaxies, which means we need a system that makes base ten easier to work with. The powers of ten can be used to express or show large numbers. A power of ten is when we multiply ten by itself any number of times. First, we'll look at powers of ten by reviewing the expanded and standard forms of the multiples of ten. They would be written out like this. What do you notice happens to the product each time we add another ten? By increasing the zeros in the product, it grows ten times larger each time. As you can see, writing our numbers in these expanded forms becomes more impractical as the number grows larger. As a result, the powers of ten use EXPONENTS to express large numbers in a shorthand way. Exponents are smaller numbers that we put in the upper right-hand side of a base number. This number indicates how many times we must write ten to multiply. In this case, the base number is ten and the exponent is two. This number is read as ten to the SECOND power. In other words, it instructs us to multiply ten twice... to get one hundred. When we put all the forms of writing a number next to each other, we can see the connections. The exponent, two, is the same as the number of times the ten appears in this expression ... AND it is the same as the number of zeroes in the number one hundred. Let’s look at another example. Because the exponent is six, this is ten to the sixth power. How many times will we multiply the ten? We'll write the ten six times and multiply them all together. This equals one million. Is one million written in standard form with six zeros? Yes. We can make a connection between powers of ten, expanded form expressions, and the standard form of writing a number. This chart shows us the patterns created by the powers of ten. As the exponent increases, so does the number of tens multiplied and the number of zeros in the product. Let’s practice some powers of ten. What is ten to the seventh power written as an expanded expression? What is the standard form of this power? Ten million. Let's start with the expanded expression to determine the power of ten in this problem. How many times is the ten multiplied by itself here? Nine. How would we write this expression as a power of ten? Ten to the ninth power. What is the standard form of ten to the ninth power? Ten to the ninth power is one billion. How many zeroes are in one billion? There are nine. To Summarize… powers of ten are a convenient way to express large numbers by combining the base number, ten, and an exponent. The power of tens makes large numbers, such as distances to distant galaxies, easier to write and calculate.

1 comment
  1. i feel so much smarter and its only my first day i loved this lesson so much

    From Makinley, over 1 year ago

Powers of 10 exercise

Would you like to apply the knowledge you’ve learned? You can review and practice it with the tasks for the video Powers of 10 .
  • Define powers of ten.

    Hints

    The same number can be written in different ways but always has the same value.
    Example: $10^{2}$ is the same number as:

    • 10 x 10 (2 times)
    • 100 (2 zeros)
    • one hundred (written)

    When writing calculations with very large numbers, such as the distances between planets and galaxies in space, writing numbers such as one trillion or three hundred billion with all the necessary zeros can be confusing.

    There are 2 true statements and 2 false.

    Solution

    TRUE

    • Powers of ten use exponents. Exponents are small numbers written in the upper right-hand corner of a base number.
    • $10^{3}$ means you must multiply 10 by 10, 3 times.
    FALSE
    • Powers of ten use despondents. Despodants are inactive numbers.
    • $10^{3}$ means you must multiply 10 by 3, 3 times.

  • Match powers of ten with their standard form number.

    Hints

    The exponent is the same as the number of zeros in standard form (or the number of zeros after 1).

    Use this graph to compare the same number written as a power of ten, an expression and in standard form.

    Solution
    • $10^{6}$ is the same number as 1,000,000.
    • $10^{10}$ is the same number as 10,000,000,000.
    • $10^{4}$ is the same number as 10,000.
    • $10^{3}$ is the same number as 1,000.
  • Connect powers of 10 with the expression or standard form.

    Hints

    A power of ten in standard form has as many zeros as the exponent.
    Example: $10^{10}$ = 10,000,000,000 (standard form, ten zeros)

    A power of ten as an expression multiplies 10 the same amount of times as the exponent.

    Example: 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x10 is the expression for $10^{10}$.

    Solution
    • $10^{3}$ = 10 x 10 x 10 (expression)
    • $10^{4}$ = 10,000 (standard form, 4 zeros)
    • $10^{6}$ = 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 (expression)
    • $10^{8}$ = 100,000,000 (standard form, 8 zeros)
  • Complete the table.

    Hints

    From left to right, the power of 10, expression, standard form, and name are all the same number presented differently.

    The exponent tells you how many times to multiply 10 by 10, as well as how many zeros the standard form should have.

    The same number can be written in different ways but always has the same value. $10^{8}$ is the same number as 10x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 (8 times) and as 100,000,000 (8 zeros) and as one hundred million.

    Solution

    Above is the completed table through 10 to the power of 4.

  • Find the expression of the power of ten.

    Hints

    The same number can be written in different ways but always has the same value.
    Example: $10^{2}$ is the same number as:

    • 10 x 10 (2 times)
    • 100 (2 zeros)
    • one hundred (written)

    $10^{4}$ represents the expression of 10 multiplied by 10 4 times. (10 x 10 x10 x10).

    Solution

    $10^{7}$ is the same as 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 and is the same as 10,000,000.

  • Present the information in different forms.

    Hints

    The same number can be written in different ways but always has the same value. $10^{2}$ is the same number as 10 x 10 (2 times) and as 100 (2 zeros) and as one hundred (name).

    The exponent tells you how many times to multiply 10 by 10 for an expression, as well as how many zeros the standard form should have.

    Fill in the blanks carefully. Only write numbers when asked for numbers, and written names when asked for names.

    If you are unsure how something is spelled, these words may help.

    • One
    • Ten
    • Hundred
    • Thousand
    • Million
    • Billion
    • Trillion
    Solution

    Above is the completed table for $10^{3}$ and $10^{6}$.