Multiply the weight in tonnes by the conversion factor ( 1 tonne = 1000 kg) to get the weight in kg's:
170 tonnes x 1000 = 170,000
Now convert to scientific notation, by moving the decimal point to have only 1 digit to the left of the decimal.
To do this, you would need to move the decimal 5 places to the left to get 1.70000
Now remove the 0's and multiply the number by 10 raised to the number of paces the decimal was moved to get:
1.7 x 10^5 kg's.
