Quote:
Originally Posted by Bart
Can some one please explain how I read or interpret a number, e.g. for processing given as weight, of 8.7638e+01?
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Hi Bart,
It's as others have said, 8.7638 multiplied by 10 to the power of 1 (or exponent 1), which equals 87.638. The
e is for
exponent typically to the usual base 10. It's use is more of one that has grown from its use in earlier programming languages, rather than pure mathematics per se. Unfortunately on most modern keyboards it can't be typed as easily as you can write it.....
In mathematics
e, sometimes called
Euler's number is an irrational number constant and the base of the natural logarithm, roughly equal to a constant of around
2.718.... . Whilst it's understood in the above example
based on context to be as suggested above, I think if you need to write an exponent using a non superscripting device like a typical modern keyboard, that it's better to write it using the circumflex or caret symbol ^. It suggests "pointing up" and so is perhaps a little more intuitive and allows one to specify the base, in this case base 10. In your example it would read..... 8.736 x10^1.
Using the caret/circumflex symbol is better as it wont be potentially confused with e, the base of the natural logarithm/Euler's number. Of course there's no substitute for the clarity of superscript version as written above. You can do it with superscripting in most word processors / formulae editors. What's interesting is that on ye olde typewriters you could do a half line shift upwards and then type the exponent.
Best
JA