Grade 7 · Math

7th grade Powers of ten and scientific notation worksheet

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Powers of ten and scientific notation

Grade 7 Math Worksheet

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Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

The big city library has 10^6 books, and Luz is working through the mystery shelf. How many books are in the library?
A tree-planting project plants 10^7 trees, and Milo planted the very first one. How many trees is that?
A grain of pollen is about 10^-5 m across, and Ren needs a microscope to see it. How many meters is that, written as a decimal?
A guitar string is about 7.2 × 10^-4 m thick, and Kira tunes it with a squeak. How many meters is that, written as a decimal?
A region on Noah's map has 7,300,000 people. How do you write 7,300,000 in scientific notation?
6.
Pia writes three town populations on paper. Which population is the greatest?
- 6 × 10^3
- 9 × 10^4
- 2 × 10^5
7.
Ren reads three distances in meters on a map. Which distance is the greatest?
- 1.5 × 10^6
- 8 × 10^4
- 9.9 × 10^5
8.
Three towns count the bus rides taken last year, and Tala wants the busiest. Which number is the greatest?
- 9 × 10^4
- 7.1 × 10^5
- 3.2 × 10^5
9.
Zee writes three measurements in meters on paper. Which measurement is the least?
- 2 × 10^-3
- 7 × 10^-4
- 5 × 10^-2
10.
Ari's science book lists three lengths in meters. Which length is the least?
- 2 × 10^-4
- 8 × 10^-5
- 6 × 10^-2

7th grade Powers of ten and scientific notation worksheet – printable — Print: 1 2 3 4 5 6

About this worksheet

Powers of ten and scientific notation. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

I can say 10^-3 is 1 divided by three tens, so it is 0.001, a small positive number.
I can change 4.5 × 10^3 to 4,500 and 0.0045 to 4.5 × 10^-3, with one digit before the point.
I can put numbers in scientific notation in order: the strip of tens first, the first parts only for ties.

Standard: state-only (CCSS 8.EE.A.3–4)

Words to know

power of ten: 10 multiplied by itself: 10^3 = 10 × 10 × 10.

negative power: 10^-3 is 1 divided by three tens. It is small, not below zero.

strip of tens: The tens written in a row. 10^4 is a strip of four tens.

first part: The number in front of the × 10, such as the 4.5 in 4.5 × 10^3.

scientific notation: A first part from 1 up to (not including) 10, times a power of ten.

standard form: The number written the usual way, such as 4,500 or 0.0045.

Common mistakes

Your child multiplied the exponent into the number (10^4 as 10 × 4 = 40, or 3 × 10^4 as 3 × 4 = 12). Write the power out as tens, 10 × 10 × 10 × 10, and multiply them all together.

Your child ended up with one zero too many (10^4 as 100,000, or 3 × 10^4 as 300,000, or 0.003 for 3 × 10^-2). Count one zero or one move of the point for each ten in the strip, and check the last one.

Your child treated a negative power of ten like a positive one (10^-3 as 1,000, or 4 × 10^-3 as 4,000). A minus sign puts the tens below a fraction bar: 10^-3 = 1 ÷ (10 × 10 × 10) = 0.001. Try 10^-2 together.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with powers of ten and scientific notation?

Your child multiplied the exponent into the number (10^4 as 10 × 4 = 40, or 3 × 10^4 as 3 × 4 = 12). Write the power out as tens, 10 × 10 × 10 × 10, and multiply them all together.

Are these 7th grade math worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

More grade 7 math

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