MATH SHORT HAND

Before we move on to doing any problem solving and experiments, I would like to present some standard short hand notation for dealing with very large and very small numbers.

They are as follows

     1,000 (103) -------> K  for Kilo meaning one thousand
     1,000,000(106) ----> M  for Mega meaning one million
      .001(10-3) -------> m for milli meaning 1/1000
      .000001(10-6)-----> µ for micro meaning 1/1000000

When solving problems with numbers express like this on you calculators, be sure to enter the number correctly to get the correct answer.  If you are not sure consult the manual that comes with your calculator. For instance you might need to solve the following equation for the voltage applied  in a circuit that has 5KΩ of resistance and a current of 1 ma. The equation would look like

        Volts(?) = 1 ma x 5 KΩ

on your calculator you would have to enter

         .001 or (1E-3) for the 1 ma
and       5000 or (5E3) for the 5KΩ

Then multiply.

The answer you should get is 5 volts.

Now if you are using MathPad, then the program recognizes the above abbreviations. The following is a copy of the way the problem would be entered and the results after pressing the enter key.

first type in

             1m*5K

Then press the enter key on your keyboard. Your display should look like

             1m*5K:5

The program adds the colon and the answer 5 to the line.