Scientific Notation Converter
Convert numbers between standard decimal form, scientific notation (a × 10^b), engineering notation and E-notation with steps.
How to use it
- Enter any decimal number or exponential value to convert.
Examples
| 1234500 | 1.2345 × 10^6 |
| 0.00045 | 4.5 × 10^-4 |
Scientific notation writes a number as a value between 1 and 10 multiplied by a power of 10 (a × 10^b), so very large or very small numbers stay readable without a wall of zeros. 1,234,500 becomes 1.2345 × 10⁶; 0.00045 becomes 4.5 × 10⁻⁴.
To convert standard form to scientific notation, move the decimal point until only one non-zero digit sits to its left, and count how many places you moved it — that count becomes the exponent (positive if you moved left, negative if you moved right).
Scientific vs. engineering vs. E-notation
| Form | Example | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific notation | 1.2345 × 10⁶ | Coefficient between 1 and 10 |
| Engineering notation | 1.2345 × 10⁶ (exponent stays a multiple of 3) | Exponent always divisible by 3, matches SI prefixes (k, M, G) |
| E-notation | 1.2345E+6 | Same as scientific, written without superscripts for calculators and code |
Where this comes up
- Physics, chemistry and astronomy problems dealing with very large (distances, molecule counts) or very small (atomic masses, wavelengths) numbers
- Reading E-notation output from a calculator or spreadsheet and converting it to standard decimal form
- Engineering calculations that prefer exponents in multiples of 3 to line up with SI prefixes like kilo, mega and micro
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Last updated 18 August 2026