HP 48gII - Manual (Page 49)

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• Scientific format
The scientific format is mainly used when solving problems in the physical
sciences where numbers are usually represented as a number with limited
precision multiplied by a power of ten.
To set this format, start by pressing the
H button. Next, use the down
arrow key, ˜, to select the option Number format. Press the @CHOOS soft
menu key ( B), and select the option Scientific with the arrow down key
˜. Keep the number 3 in front of the Sci. (This number can be
changed in the same fashion that we changed the Fixed number of
decimals in the example above).
Press the !!@@OK#@ soft menu key return to the calculator display. The
number now is shown as:
This result, 1.23E2, is the calculator’s version of powers-of-ten notation,
i.e., 1.235
× 10 2 . In this, so-called, scientific notation, the number 3 in
front of the Sci number format (shown earlier) represents the number of
significant figures after the decimal point. Scientific notation always
includes one integer figure as shown above. For this case, therefore, the
number of significant figures is four.
• Engineering format
The engineering format is very similar to the scientific format, except that
the powers of ten are multiples of three.
To set this format, start by pressing the
H button. Next, use the down
arrow key, ˜, to select the option Number format. Press the @CHOOS soft
menu key ( B), and select the option Engineering with the arrow down
key ˜. Keep the number 3 in front of the Eng. (This number can be
changed in the same fashion that we changed the Fixed number of
decimals in an earlier example).