Mathematical Reasoning

Lesson 21: Exponents and Scientific Notation

Weekly Focus: exponents and

scientific notation
LESSON 21: Exponents and Scientific Notation Weekly Skill: calculate, word
problems

Lesson Summary: For the Warm Up, students will solve a problem about brain cells. In Activity 1, they will add
and subtract exponents. In Activity 2, they will multiply and divide exponents. In Activity 3, they will practice
scientific notation. In Activities 4 and 5, they will do word problems. There are extra activity ideas provided at
the end. Estimated time for the lesson is 2 hours.

Materials Needed for Lesson 21:

 Video (length 4:00) on scientific notation. The video is required for teachers and optional for students.
 1 Notes handout (21.1)
 4 Worksheets (21.2, 21.3, 21.4, 21.5) with answers (attached or embedded link)
 Mathematical Reasoning Test Preparation for the 2014 GED Test Student Book (pages 56 – 57)
 Mathematical Reasoning Test Preparation for the 2014 GED Test Workbook (pages 70 – 73)

Objectives: Students will be able to:

 Solve the brain word problem

 Do computation with exponents and scientific notation
 Solve problems with exponents and scientific notation

ACES Skills Addressed: N, CT, LS, ALS

CCRS Mathematical Practices Addressed: Building Solution Pathways, Mathematical Fluency, Attend to
Precision
Levels of Knowing Math Addressed: Intuitive, Abstract, and Application

Notes:
You can add more examples if you feel students need them before they work. Any ideas that concretely
relates to their lives make good examples.

For more practice as a class, feel free to choose some of the easier problems from the worksheets to do
together. The “easier” problems are not necessarily at the beginning of each worksheet. Also, you may
decide to have students complete only part of the worksheets in class and assign the rest as homework or
extra practice.

The GED Math test is 115 minutes long and includes approximately 46 questions. The questions have a focus
on quantitative problem solving (45%) and algebraic problem solving (55%).

Students must be able to understand math concepts and apply them to new situations, use logical
reasoning to explain their answers, evaluate and further the reasoning of others, represent real world
problems algebraically and visually, and manipulate and solve algebraic expressions.

This computer-based test includes questions that may be multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, choose from a
drop-down menu, or drag-and-drop the response from one place to another.

The purpose of the GED test is to provide students with the skills necessary to either further their education or
be ready for the demands of today’s careers.

D. Legault, Minnesota Literacy Council, 2014 1

 Mathematical Reasoning

Lesson 21: Exponents and Scientific Notation

Lesson 21 Warm-up: Solve the brain questions Time: 10 Minutes

Write on the board: An adult human brain weighs about 1400 grams. There are about 86
billion neurons (brain cells) in our brains.

Questions:

 Estimate how many pounds the brain weighs.

o Hint: First convert grams to kg. (1000 g = 1 kg) so about 1 ½ kg.
o Hint: 1 kg is a little more than 2 lbs. (2.2) so 1 ½ kg equals about 3 lbs.
 Write out 86 billion as a number.
o 86,000,000,000
 For an adult who weighs 120 lbs., what percent of his weight does his brain weigh?
o 3/120 = 0.025 = 2.5 %

Lesson 21 Activity 1: Adding and Subtracting Exponents Time: 10 Minutes

1. In working with exponents, we need to learn how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide
them.

2. For adding and subtracting, we combine like terms. Like terms have the same variables
raised to the same exponent.

3. Examples: 5x2 and x2 are like terms. 5x2 and x3 are not.

4. Example: 8y3 + 2y3 + 7 + 4x2 – 2x2 = 10y3 + 2x2 + 7. Add more examples if needed.

5. Do Worksheet 21.2 to practice.

D. Legault, Minnesota Literacy Council, 2014 2

 Mathematical Reasoning

Lesson 21: Exponents and Scientific Notation

Lesson 21 Activity 2: Multiplying and Dividing Exponents Time: 25 Minutes

1) There is Handout 21.1 with examples of the following. You many choose to explain the three
examples below and have students practice those only and give them the handout notes
later because it has more information than they need immediately.

2) Example of Multiplying Exponents: 32  34 = (3 x 3) x (3 x 3 x 3 x 3) = 9 x 81 = 729. As you can

see, this is the same as 36. When we multiply exponents, we can add the exponents before
calculating. (Number 3 on handout notes).

3) Example of Dividing Exponents: 34 /32 = 3 x 3 x 3 x 3/ 3 x 3 = 81/ 9 = 9 or you can cancel before

you multiply it out to get 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 / 3 x 3 = 9. As you can see, this is the same as subtracting
the second exponent from the first. We subtract exponents 4 – 2 = 2, so answer is 32 = 9.
(Number 4 on handout notes).

4) Example of Negative Exponent: When the exponent is negative, it means it is the

denominator in a fraction. Example: 4-3 means the same as 1/ 43. (Number 2 on handout
notes).

5) Practice with Worksheets 21.3 and 21.4. Do a few examples together first.

Lesson 21 Activity 3: Scientific Notation Time: 20-25 Minutes

1. In changing from standard notation to scientific notation, we need to remember two

rules:
a. Scientific notation is written as a number between 1 and 10 multiplied by
10integer.
b. We count the number of decimal places from where we want to have the
decimal point to where it is. If we count to the right, the integer is positive. If we
count to the left, the integer is negative.

2. Example A: 138,000 = 1.38 x 105. I count from where I want the decimal point to be
(between the 1 and the 3 and count to the right 5 times to get the integer 5.

3. Example B: 0.000138 = 1.38 x 10-4. This time I had to count 4 spaces to the left, so my
integer is -4.

D. Legault, Minnesota Literacy Council, 2014 3

 Mathematical Reasoning

Lesson 21: Exponents and Scientific Notation

4. Example C: The same principles apply for converting from scientific to standard
notation. Our brains contain 8.6 x 1010 neurons. The integer is positive (and we know
we want a larger number) so we move the decimal point to the right 10 times to get
86,000,000,000.

5. Practice with Worksheet 21.5. Make sure to do some in each section.

Lesson 21 Activity 4: Practice Problems Time: 15-20 Minutes

Do the problems in the student book pages 56-57 together.

Lesson 21 Activity 5: Word Problems Time: 35-45 Minutes

Start the problems in the workbook pages 70-73 Assign the rest as homework.

Lesson 21 Extra Activity for Application Time: 45-50 Minutes

There is an activity available on yummymath.com that includes exponents. Search for space shuttle
(on the right hand side towards the middle of the page) and it will provide the activity as a pdf.

D. Legault, Minnesota Literacy Council, 2014 4

 Mathematical Reasoning

Lesson 21: Exponents and Scientific Notation

Handout 21.1 Exponent Properties

D. Legault, Minnesota Literacy Council, 2014 5

 Mathematical Reasoning

Lesson 21: Exponents and Scientific Notation

D. Legault, Minnesota Literacy Council, 2014 6

 Mathematical Reasoning

Lesson 21: Exponents and Scientific Notation

Worksheet 21.3 Multiplying Exponents

D. Legault, Minnesota Literacy Council, 2014 7

 Mathematical Reasoning

Lesson 21: Exponents and Scientific Notation

Worksheet 21.3 Answers

D. Legault, Minnesota Literacy Council, 2014 8

 Mathematical Reasoning

Lesson 21: Exponents and Scientific Notation

Worksheet 21.4 Divide Exponents

D. Legault, Minnesota Literacy Council, 2014 9

 Mathematical Reasoning

Lesson 21: Exponents and Scientific Notation

Worksheet 21.4 Answers

D. Legault, Minnesota Literacy Council, 2014 10

 Mathematical Reasoning

Lesson 21: Exponents and Scientific Notation

Worksheet 21.5 Scientific Notation

D. Legault, Minnesota Literacy Council, 2014 11

 Mathematical Reasoning

Lesson 21: Exponents and Scientific Notation

Worksheet 21.5 Answers

D. Legault, Minnesota Literacy Council, 2014 12