Scientific+Notation

=Lesson or Project Description:= Students will use scientific notation or exponential form to express numbers. Students will also estimate the distance from the planets to the sun, convert scientific notation to standard notaion. Lastly the students will align the planets in order according to the distance from the sun. On the first day, the students will be asked to:
 * Estimate the following, then write their actual distance. **
 * 1) ** Circumference of Earth (24,901.55 miles). (Have students volunteer to read the numbers. Discuss how these numbers are too large. Scientists express numbers this large in scientific notation. The following numbers on the board can be written in this manner.) **
 * 2) ** Population of China (1,300,000,000). **
 * 3) ** Number of coins made in 2002 (15 billion). **
 * 4) ** National debt ($75,000,000,000,000). **


 * 1. Teacher will demonstrate how to express these numbers in scientific notation. **
 * Discuss the order of the planets in our solar system. Divide the students into nine groups of three and assign a planet to each group. Using the internet and library resources, students will find three facts about their assigned planet including the distance of the planet from the sun and report their findings to the entire class. The distance will be recorded on Worksheet A. The students will fill in the distances on the worksheet using scientific notation. **
 * 2. Using prior knowledge of proportion the students will calculate the scale distance of the sun to Pluto (5.1 billion km) to 100 ft. The students will calculate the scale distance from the sun for each planet. Make sure that the students estimate to the nearest whole number. This will be recorded on Worksheet B. Once students have completed the group activity they will begin the measurement activity. All the supplies will be available for the students to begin the activity. **
 * Measurement Activity: **
 *  Using the rope the students will: **
 * 1. ****Mark off the distance from the sun to each planet. **
 * 2. ****Label each planet with its distance in scientific notation on the sentence strips **
 * 3. ****Place a picture of the planet and its distance from the sun at the appropriate location on the rope. (to the nearest foot) **


 * 3. The teacher will introduce converting scientific notation to standard notation. Students will use their distance cards from the previous day and write the decimal notation equivalent on the back. **

[|Planets] [|NASA] [|Video]
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