Numbers written in standard formA system in which numbers are written as a number greater than 1 and less than 10 multiplied by a power of 10 which may be positive or negative. can be ordered by first considering the power of 10, which tells you the size of the numbers. If two or more numbers have the same power of 10, use the number at the front to decide on the order.
Example
Write these numbers in ascendingAscending means starting at the bottom and going up, for example, 0, 1, 2, 3... or A, B, C, D... order:
The numbers \(4.1 \times 10^4\) and \(2 \times 10^4\) have the same power of 10, so looking at the number at the front, we can see that \(2 \times 10^4\) is less than \(4.1 \times 10^4\).
Using the powers of 10 we can write the other numbers in order, smallest to biggest:
\(9.01 \times 10^2\) and \(6.4 \times 10^2\) have the same power of 10, so looking at the number at the front, we can see that \(6.4 \times 10^2\) is less than \(9.01 \times 10^2\).
Using the powers of 10 we can write the other numbers in order, smallest to biggest: