Powers of 10 are a useful shorthand for writing very large or small numbers, but when dealing with quantities which have units, another shorthand is often used. In this method, each power of 10 has an associated prefix, which is added to the beginning of the unit, to show that the measurement has been multiplied by that power of 10. For example, 10^3 has the prefix kilo-, so for a distance of 10^3 (1,000) meters, we say 1 kilo-meter.
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