Reading Standard Form

A number in standard form is written as:

• a number greater than or equal to 1 and less than 10

• multiplied by a power of 10

For example, 3.2 × 10⁴ is in standard form

The power tells you whether the number is large or small

• A positive power of 10 usually represents a large number

• A negative power of 10 represents a small decimal

In 5.7 × 10²:

• 5.7 is the number greater than or equal to 1 and less than 10

• 2 is the power

• 10² is the power of 10