Overview of CheMentor Introduction Objectives Role of the student Role of the software Design Elements Types of Module The Menu System Individual Modules - details and on-line samples: Significant Figures Unit Factors Isotopes Ion Recog/Writing Formulae Rec/Writg Mass/Mole Conversions %Composition (Cmpds) Oxidation Numbers Periodic Table Ions Reference Molar Mass Calculator Empirical and Molecular Formulae Reviews of CheMentor Pricing and Ordering Download a Demo CheMentor Home Page

Decimal and Scientific Notation

This program is designed to give you practice in making the conversion from decimal format to scientific notation (exponential notation). Converting numbers to scientific notation is very useful - particularly when the number is very large or very small. However, it is also a useful way to be explicit in conveying to someone else the correct number of significant digits. For instance, a number like 25300 could have three significant digits or four - one of the trailing zeroes could be significant. By re-writing it as 2.530 x 10 exp (4) you tell the reader that there are four significant digits. In the program, decimal numbers are randomly generated - and you have to convert to scientific notation by typing the decimal and exponent parts into the boxes that appear on the screen. You can use the program to give yourself a simple test. See how many of the exercises you can complete correctly by using the Scoreboard. The 'Restart' button clears any existing score and starts you with a new series of exercises. In the full version of the program, you can also practice converting numbers that are given in scientific notation to decimal format. Try out the program here - it should have appeared by now in the area below. Just click on the graphic for the item you want ... or use the links on the left. About the buttons you will see in the program window ...

The 'New' button - generates a new exercise The 'Judge' button - click this to have your answer checked The 'Peek' button - lets you see the answer expected by the program, along with some information on how it was obtained

The 'Restart' button - clears the scoreboard and starts a new series of exercises The 'Text' and 'Hide Text' buttons - these show and hide the Text window The 'Clear' button - resets the answer box(es)

The 'Quit Practice' button - not active in this demo, it would return you to the CheMentor main menu The 'Activities Menu' button - not active in this demo, it would return you to the menu for the module

Link to the other modules ...