How do I convert a number to scientific notation?

Move the decimal point until you have one non-zero digit to its left. Count the places moved — that is the exponent. Moving left = positive exponent (large numbers). Moving right = negative exponent (small numbers). Example: 35,000 → 3.5 × 10⁴.

How do I multiply numbers in scientific notation?

Multiply the coefficients and add the exponents. Example: (3 × 10⁴) × (2 × 10³) = 6 × 10⁷. If the coefficient result is ≥ 10, adjust by moving the decimal and increasing the exponent.

What is the difference between scientific and engineering notation?

Engineering notation restricts exponents to multiples of 3 (matching SI prefixes like kilo, mega, giga). Scientific notation allows any integer exponent. So 4,700 is 4.7 × 10³ in both, but 47,000 is 4.7 × 10⁴ (scientific) vs 47 × 10³ (engineering).

Can zero be written in scientific notation?

Zero has no standard scientific notation representation because log₁₀(0) is undefined. There is no power of 10 that equals zero. This calculator will show an error if you enter zero.

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Scientific Notation Calculator

Convert between standard numbers and scientific notation. Enter any number to see its coefficient and exponent, or enter notation to get the full number.

Last updated: March 31, 2026

Enter a number to convert to scientific notation.

Number

How to Use This Calculator

Choose a mode: Number → Notation or Notation → Number.
For Number → Notation: enter any number (e.g., 35000 or 0.0042).
For Notation → Number: enter the coefficient (e.g., 3.5) and exponent (e.g., 4).
The result updates automatically as you type.

The Formula

Scientific notation: N = c × 10ⁿ, where 1 ≤ |c| < 10 and n is an integer. To convert: move the decimal point until one non-zero digit is to its left. The number of places moved becomes the exponent (positive for large numbers, negative for small).

Frequently Asked Questions

Scientific notation expresses numbers as a coefficient between 1 and 10 multiplied by a power of 10. It makes very large numbers (like 299,792,458) and very small numbers (like 0.000000001) easier to read and work with.