Scientific Notation Calculator
Convert a number to scientific notation, E notation, engineering notation or standard form, or do arithmetic with numbers written in scientific notation.
What is scientific notation?
Scientific notation writes a number as a coefficient multiplied by a power of ten: a × 10n. The coefficient a is at least 1 and less than 10, and the exponent n is a whole number. So 6,020,000 becomes 6.02 × 106, and 0.00045 becomes 4.5 × 10−4.
It keeps very large and very small numbers short, makes their size easy to compare at a glance, and shows how many significant figures a measurement has.
How to write a number in scientific notation
- Move the decimal point until exactly one non-zero digit sits to its left.
- Count how many places you moved it. That count is the size of the exponent.
- If you moved the point to the left, the exponent is positive. If you moved it to the right, the exponent is negative.
- Drop leading zeros, and keep only the trailing zeros that are significant.
| Standard form | Scientific notation | E notation |
|---|---|---|
| 93,000,000 | 9.3 × 107 | 9.3e7 |
| 0.00045 | 4.5 × 10−4 | 4.5e-4 |
| 602,200,000,000,000,000,000,000 | 6.022 × 1023 | 6.022e23 |
| 0.000000001 | 1 × 10−9 | 1e-9 |
| 7 | 7 × 100 | 7e0 |
Converting back to standard form
Reverse the process. A positive exponent moves the decimal point to the right that many places; a negative exponent moves it to the left. For 3.1 × 10−4, move the point four places left to get 0.00031. For 2.5 × 105, move it five places right to get 250,000.
Adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing
Multiplying: multiply the coefficients and add the exponents. (3.2 × 104) × (4.1 × 10−2) = 13.12 × 102, which normalizes to 1.312 × 103.
Dividing: divide the coefficients and subtract the exponents. (6.0 × 105) ÷ (2.0 × 10−3) = 3.0 × 108.
Adding and subtracting: first rewrite both numbers with the same exponent, then add or subtract the coefficients. 5.2 × 103 + 3.1 × 102 = 5.2 × 103 + 0.31 × 103 = 5.51 × 103.
The second calculator above shows these steps for any numbers you enter. For multiplication and division it also rounds the answer to the smaller number of significant figures in the inputs, the usual rule in chemistry and physics classes.
E notation and engineering notation
E notation replaces “× 10 to the power” with the letter E, so 6.022 × 1023 becomes 6.022E23. Calculators, spreadsheets and programming languages use it because it fits on one line. On the scientific calculator, the ×10x key enters it and shows it as ᴇ.
Engineering notation only uses exponents that are multiples of three, so the coefficient ranges from 1 to 999. That lines up with metric prefixes: 103 is kilo, 106 is mega, 10−3 is milli and 10−6 is micro. For example, 0.00072 amps is 720 × 10−6 A, or 720 µA.
Significant figures in scientific notation
Every digit in the coefficient is significant. Non-zero digits always count, zeros between them count, and leading zeros never count. Trailing zeros count only when the number has a decimal point.
That makes a number like 45,000 ambiguous: it could have two significant figures or five. By default this calculator treats trailing zeros without a decimal point as not significant, so 45,000 becomes 4.5 × 104. Enter 45000. with a decimal point to keep all five (4.5000 × 104), or pick a number of significant figures from the menu.
Frequently asked questions
Is 12 × 103 in scientific notation?
Not quite. The coefficient must be at least 1 and less than 10, so it is written 1.2 × 104. Engineering notation, however, allows 12 × 103.
What does “e” mean in a number like 3e-5?
It is E notation for 3 × 10−5, which equals 0.00003.
How do I type scientific notation into this calculator?
Type it the way you would write it: 6.02e23, 6.02E23, 6.02×10^23 or 6.02 x 10^23 all work, and so do superscripts like 10⁻⁴. Commas and spaces are ignored.
Can the exponent be zero?
Yes. Any number from 1 up to (but not including) 10 has an exponent of 0, because 100 = 1. For example, 7 = 7 × 100.
Last updated September 27, 2026.