Scientific Notation Converter
Convert numbers to scientific, E and engineering notation.
The coefficient is shown to six significant figures. Enter zero and the notation is simply 0.
Taming big and small numbers
Scientific notation expresses any number as a coefficient between 1 and 10 times a power of ten. It turns unwieldy strings of zeros into something short, readable and easy to compare.
n = coefficient × 10^exponent (1 ≤ coefficient < 10)
The exponent records how far the decimal point shifts: positive for large numbers, negative for small ones. Engineering notation is a close cousin that keeps the exponent to multiples of three so it lines up with metric prefixes.
6022 written in scientific notation is 6.022 × 10³ (or 6.022e3): the coefficient is 6.022 and the exponent is 3. A small number like 0.00042 becomes 4.2 × 10⁻⁴.
Why scientists and engineers love it
Beyond saving space, scientific notation makes the scale of a number obvious at a glance and keeps significant figures honest. Comparing 10⁻⁹ with 10⁶ is instant; comparing 0.000000001 with 1000000 is not.
Quick reminders
- Coefficient range. Always at least 1 and less than 10 in standard scientific form.
- Sign of the exponent. Negative means a fraction; positive means large.
- Engineering steps in threes. Matching kilo (10³), mega (10⁶), milli (10⁻³) and so on.