Basic Operations
Given two numbers in scientific notation,
and
Multiplication and division are performed using the rules for operation with exponential functions:
and
Some examples are:
and
Addition and subtraction require the numbers to be represented using the same exponential part, so that the significand can be simply added or subtracted. :
Next, add or subtract the significands:
An example:
Read more about this topic: Scientific Notation
Famous quotes containing the words basic and/or operations:
“Man has lost the basic skill of the ape, the ability to scratch its back. Which gave it extraordinary independence, and the liberty to associate for reasons other than the need for mutual back-scratching.”
—Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929)
“There is a patent office at the seat of government of the universe, whose managers are as much interested in the dispersion of seeds as anybody at Washington can be, and their operations are infinitely more extensive and regular.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)