section_path: Integer exponents/Particular bases/Powers of ten
section_name: Powers of ten
paragraph_text: Powers of ten
  
  In the base ten (decimal) number system, integer powers of 10 are written as the digit 1 followed or preceded by a number of zeroes determined by the sign and magnitude of the exponent. For example, 10 = 1000 and 10 = 0.0001.
  
  Exponentiation with base 10 is used in scientific notation to denote large or small numbers. For instance, 299 792 458 m/s (the speed of light in vacuum, in metres per second) can be written as 2.997 924 58 × 10 m/s and then approximated as 2.998 × 10 m/s.
  
  SI prefixes based on powers of 10 are also used to describe small or large quantities. For example, the prefix kilo means 10 = 1000, so a kilometre is 1000 m.