Week 1 Math discussion B
Week 1 Question B:
A student submitted the following problem, but the solution is incorrect.
• Identify the mistake. What did the student do wrong?
• Solve the problem correctly. Convert each to scientific notation:
4129
0.4129
2 incorrect solutions:
4129 = 4.129 x 10
4
0.4129 = 4.129 x 10
‒4
The incorrect solutions may have come from confusion on the student’s part, or a misunderstanding regarding the movement of the decimal point in scientific notation. It could also just be a simple oversight or miscalculation during the conversion process.
For the number 4129:
The student incorrectly moved the decimal point four places to the right, resulting in 4.129×10
4
instead of 4.129×10
3
. This suggests a misunderstanding of the correct direction
for moving the decimal in the scientific notation process.
For the number 0.4129:
The student incorrectly moved the decimal point four places to the left, resulting in 4.129×10
−4
instead of 4.129×10
−1
. This indicates a potential confusion in determining the correct exponent sign, as the decimal point was moved to the left.
2 correct solutions:
4129 = 4.129 x 10
3
0.4129 = 4.129 x 10
‒1
