These numbers are large or small enough that the computer prefers to
rewrite them
in
scientific notation. Familiarity with scientific notation is
not
essential for understanding
th
e computer, or even this chapter.
Scientific notation expresses a
large number
as
a number between 0
and
10
multiplied by a power of
10.
An
exponent specifies the power
of
10.
In
the following exampl
e,
E + 13 means that the exponent
is
13:
2.5E
+
.13
=
2.5
X .101.3 =
25000000000000
You can use exponents to talk to your computer. The caret
on
the
Right Arrow key
[J
is the symbol for exponent
s.
You must use the
[]bj[Jkey
to print the caret. Try the following computations:
PRINT
2
A.1
PRINT
2 A 2
PRINT
2 A 3
PRINT
2 A 4
PRINT
2 A
64
The first notation
is
2 to the first power; the second , 2 to the second
power; and so
on
. The last notation
is
2 to the sixty-fourth power,
which
is
a large enough number that the computer needs to express
it
in
scientific notation.
Unless you are a physicist timing electrons
in
their orbits or an
astronomer
calculating the size of the universe, you will rarely need to
use scientific notation. But if you ever
do, the computer
is
capable of
doing your
calculations with ev
en
these often
un
wieldy numbers.
THE COMPUTER AS A CALCULATOR
The computer can perform
th
e same functions
as
a calculator. Use
the
plus ( + ) sign
on
the Left Arrow key
[j
to type the statement
below:
PRINT
.1+.1
When you press 1 Return
I,
th
e computer immediately gives you
an
answer, just like a calculator. Invent your own addition problems now.
Make the numbers big or
small, and try a long series of numbers to
add up. Experiment with
lots of variations.
Use the minus sign
(-)
on
the
Up
Arrow key
[J
for subtraction prob-
lems. Try the three versions of the same problem below:
PRINT
4 -
.1
PRINT
4-.1
PRINT4-.1
48
To Next Page
Loading...
Need help?
General
