Standard Form and Units
Big and small numbers into standard form and back, kJ, mA and cm into standard units, and two calculations that start with a unit change.
About this activity
The maths that loses marks in physics answers: students write numbers in standard form (and spot the ones that aren't, like 45 × 10³), turn standard form back into ordinary numbers, change units with kilo, mega, centi and milli, and then do two calculations where the values have to be changed into standard units first. New numbers every time, with the working shown after each answer.
How to use Standard Form and Units
- Standard Form and Units is a free Physics activity for Years 9 to 11 that takes about 10 minutes. Try it on this page on a computer, tablet or phone: there’s nothing to download.
- In a lesson, choose Show on the board to play it together as a class.
- To set it for a class, a teacher shares it and gets a code: students type the 6-digit code at lycolearn.co.uk/join with their first name and the first letter of their surname (no accounts needed), and their scores come back to the teacher.
Students will
- Write big and small numbers in standard form
- Change units with kilo, mega, centi and milli
- Change units into standard units before using an equation
Teaching tips
- Use it before a block of calculation questions: most lost marks are a unit left in kJ or mA.
- Pairs well with the Physics Equation Trainer.