Work out scientific notation addition instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
To add numbers in standard form you must first give them the same exponent, add the mantissas, then renormalise so the mantissa lies between 1 and 10.
Adding standard form
a×10ⁿ + b×10ᵐ = (a + b×10^(m−n))×10ⁿ, then renormalise
320000 + 45000 = 365000 = 3.65 × 10⁵.
Because they refer to different place values. Matching the exponents first is essential.