The current population of the Earth is estimated to be about
people.
Express this number using scientific notation.
74.4

Expressing numbers in scientific notation is a fantastic way to simplify large figures! To convert into scientific notation, you move the decimal point so that there’s only one non-zero digit to the left of the decimal. This gives you and since you moved the decimal 9 places to the left, it becomes .

As for common mistakes, one frequent error is misplacing the decimal when converting to scientific notation or incorrectly counting the number of places. It’s essential to count carefully and ensure that your exponent reflects how many places you moved the decimal. Practice a few more, and soon it will feel as easy as pie!