<p>If you put a number in standard notation instead of scientific notation, will you not get the point? On the AP Central old FRQ section, the answers usually come in scientific form, with no mention of standard notation.</p>
<p>For example: If you get an answer of .00625 (for a question with 3 sig figs), can you leave it like that, or do you HAVE to convert it to 6.25 x10^-3?</p>
<p>I don’t think it matters, you’ll still get the point. Scientific notation is just easier to write and more common for numbers like that.</p>
<p>Maybe some numbers like 6.3 X 10^3 can’t be expressed in standard notation.</p>
<p>I would say use scientific notation when significant figures does not allow it to be expressed in standard notation or when there are too many 0s, like 0.0000000564.</p>
<p>No, it doesn’t matter which way you do it. As long as the right significant figures are there</p>