About Scientific Notation — Class 8 IB

Express very large and very small numbers in scientific notation and perform calculations. This topic is part of the IB Class 8 mathematics syllabus (chapter: Unit 2). On this page you can practice 60 questions across three difficulty levels — 20 easy, 20 medium, and 20 hard — each with a visual step-by-step solution, plus a timed 35-question mastery test with a live leaderboard. Worked examples and sample questions from the topic are below.

Scientific Notation — solved examples for Class 8 IB

Practice questions on Scientific Notation

1. Q1.easy

   Express 0.005 in scientific notation.

   1. A)\(5 \times 10^{-2}\)
   2. B)\(5 \times 10^{-3}\)
   3. C)\(0.5 \times 10^{-2}\)
   4. D)\(50 \times 10^{-4}\)
   Show answer

   Answer: \(5 \times 10^{-3}\)

   Hint: For small numbers, the exponent of 10 will be negative.

2. Q2.easy

   What is \(4.5 \times 10^2\) in standard form?

   1. A)45
   2. B)450
   3. C)4500
   4. D)0.045
   Show answer

   Answer: 450

   Hint: Multiply by 10 twice (move decimal 2 places right).

3. Q3.easy

   Express 72,000 in scientific notation.

   1. A)\(72 \times 10^3\)
   2. B)\(7.2 \times 10^4\)
   3. C)\(7.2 \times 10^3\)
   4. D)\(0.72 \times 10^5\)
   Show answer

   Answer: \(7.2 \times 10^4\)

   Hint: The coefficient must be between 1 and 10.

4. Q4.medium

   Calculate \((3 \times 10^4) \times (2 \times 10^3)\). Give your answer in scientific notation.

   1. A)\(6 \times 10^7\)
   2. B)\(6 \times 10^{12}\)
   3. C)\(5 \times 10^7\)
   4. D)\(6 \times 10^1\)
   Show answer

   Answer: \(6 \times 10^7\)

   Hint: Multiply the coefficients and add the exponents.

5. Q5.medium

   Calculate \(\dfrac{8 \times 10^6}{4 \times 10^2}\). Give your answer in scientific notation.

   1. A)\(2 \times 10^3\)
   2. B)\(2 \times 10^4\)
   3. C)\(4 \times 10^4\)
   4. D)\(2 \times 10^8\)
   Show answer

   Answer: \(2 \times 10^4\)

   Hint: Divide the coefficients and subtract the exponents.

6. Q6.medium

   Order from smallest to largest: \(2.5 \times 10^{-3}\), \(3.1 \times 10^{-2}\), \(1.8 \times 10^{-3}\).

   1. A)\(1.8 \times 10^{-3}, 2.5 \times 10^{-3}, 3.1 \times 10^{-2}\)
   2. B)\(3.1 \times 10^{-2}, 2.5 \times 10^{-3}, 1.8 \times 10^{-3}\)
   3. C)\(2.5 \times 10^{-3}, 1.8 \times 10^{-3}, 3.1 \times 10^{-2}\)
   4. D)\(1.8 \times 10^{-3}, 3.1 \times 10^{-2}, 2.5 \times 10^{-3}\)
   Show answer

   Answer: \(1.8 \times 10^{-3}, 2.5 \times 10^{-3}, 3.1 \times 10^{-2}\)

   Hint: First compare the exponents, then the coefficients for same-exponent numbers.

7. Q7.hard

   Calculate \((8.4 \times 10^7) - (5.1 \times 10^6)\) in scientific notation.

   1. A)\(7.89 \times 10^7\)
   2. B)\(3.3 \times 10^7\)
   3. C)\(3.3 \times 10^1\)
   4. D)\(7.89 \times 10^6\)
   Show answer

   Answer: \(7.89 \times 10^7\)

   Hint: Convert to the same power of 10 before subtracting.

8. Q8.hard

   A hard drive stores \(5 \times 10^{11}\) bytes. If each photo is \(4 \times 10^6\) bytes, how many photos can it store?

   1. A)\(1.25 \times 10^4\)
   2. B)\(1.25 \times 10^5\)
   3. C)\(2 \times 10^5\)
   4. D)\(1.25 \times 10^{17}\)
   Show answer

   Answer: \(1.25 \times 10^5\)

   Hint: Divide total storage by the size of each photo.

9. Q9.hard

   Calculate \((2 \times 10^{-3})^3\) in scientific notation.

   1. A)\(8 \times 10^{-9}\)
   2. B)\(6 \times 10^{-9}\)
   3. C)\(2 \times 10^{-9}\)
   4. D)\(8 \times 10^{-6}\)
   Show answer

   Answer: \(8 \times 10^{-9}\)

   Hint: Cube both the coefficient and the power of 10 separately.

These are 9 of the 60 questions available for Scientific Notation. Start practicing above to unlock visual solutions, AI coaching, and the topic leaderboard — completely free.