Microscopic numbers

This task is about ordering some numbers written in standard form.

Tanu used a microscope that had a special ruler to measure the length in centimetres of some tiny animals. She wrote their sizes in standard form.

Here are her results:

5.6 × 10–2 3.4 × 10–5 1.6 × 10–4 3.1 × 10–2 6.8 × 10–4 2.1 × 10–5

 
a)		  
Sort these six numbers from smallest to largest and write them in the spaces below.
 
 
i)
 
ii)
 
iii)
 
iv)
 
v)
 
vi)
 
 
____________________ (smallest)
 
____________________
 
____________________
 
____________________
 
____________________
 
____________________ (largest)  
 
b) i)
Circle the larger of these two numbers.   2.6 × 10–4   /  2.17 × 10–4
  ii)

 

 Explain how you can tell it is larger.

 
 
 
 
 
c) i)
Circle the larger of these two numbers.   3.17 × 10–2   /   4.81 × 10–3  
  ii)

 

 Explain how you can tell it is larger.