After completing the Part II (of 2) scientific notation online lab exercises, students will be able to manipulate and interpret large numbers expressed in the "mantissa and exponent" format of scientific notation.

1. Basic math skills.
2. Basic familiarity with web--browser navigation.
3. Students should have completed the ASPIRE lab "Scientific Notation I: The Exponent" or its equivalent.

1. Computer Lab with Internet connection or a single machine and suitable projection equipment. We recommend a Pentium class or Mac OS 8.6 G3 (or later) computer (166 MHz, with at least 32 MB RAM).
2. Java-capable and enabled browser with the Java Run-Time Environment plug-in installed. For questions/assistance write support@cosmic.utah.edu .
3. Student Lab Packet - This is a printable version of the lab materials (instructions, frequent questions, graph formats, and questions/problems) where students can record their lab data.

1. Have students mathematically manipulate some large numbers, for example of the sort that appear in population graphs. Multiply 6 billion (the number of people in the world) by the number of eyes/fingers/teeth/cells in the human body. Have them do these calculations using conventional notation.
2. Ask the students to identify the difficulties in these manipulations, and to suggest alternative ways to perform these operations beyond the standard techniques for multiplication, division, et cetera that they are familiar with. Can they arrive at a scheme similar to the standard scientific notation?

Pre-Assessment: To quickly gauge your students' present (if any) understanding of "scientific notation", you may have them connnect scientific and conventional notation by filling out "blanks" in a table such as that below.

This symbol appears when lab partners are expected to discuss ideas with each other.

Invite students to proceed to the beginning of the Student Lab. They should first read the introductory statements and other information that pertains to the lab. As students scroll down the page, they will see the lab setup, consisting of three applets:

1. "Button Play" applet allows students to relate scientific and conventional notations.
2. A "Do you know it?" applet will randomly generate problems relating scientific and conventional notations. Students can record their answers to these questions in logs included in the student lab packets.
3. A "step-through" applet guides students through the basics of multiplication and division of numbers expressed in scientific notation.

SUMMARY: This lesson introduces students to the formalism of "scientific notation" and to its arithmetical manipulation.

Students should have discovered how to

1. Convert a conventional number into scientific notation, and vice-versa.
2. Perform the operations of multiplication and division on numbers expressed in scientific notation.

POST-ASSESSMENT: Teachers may return to the pre-assessment questions and use these same questions or compose their own post-assessment instrument. Hopefully, teachers can also include more difficult, higher-level questions in their post-assessment.

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES: In addition to the problems and questions given at the end of the lab activity, more difficult problems can be used to test their understanding.