8. \( 10^{3}-200 \)

First, let’s tackle this calculation! \( 10^{3} \) equals 1000, so when you subtract 200 from that, you get \( 1000 - 200 = 800 \). Voila! Your final answer is 800! Now, did you know that powers of ten are used everywhere in science and everyday life? They help simplify things like measuring distances in the solar system, where we use kilometers or light years, making it easier to comprehend vast distances. So, for instance, while Earth is about 150 million kilometers from the sun, we express that as 1.5 x \( 10^8 \) kilometers for convenience—easy peasy! Also, a common mistake with exponential calculations like \( 10^{3} \) is forgetting the order of operations. Remember, it's crucial to handle exponents before addition or subtraction. So if you ever see something like \( 10^{3} - (200 + 300) \), always calculate \( 10^{3} \) first!