Scientific notation converter

x = a × 10ⁿ with 1 ≤ |a| < 10 and n a whole number. Engineering notation uses an exponent that is a multiple of 3. Scientific notation writes a number as a coefficient between 1 and 10 multiplied by a power of ten, which makes very large and very small numbers easy to compare. Choose how many significant figures to keep; the coefficient is rounded to that many digits. E notation (1.235E5) is the form used by calculators and spreadsheets, and engineering notation keeps exponents in steps of three to match prefixes such as kilo, mega and micro.

With number 123,456, significant figures 4, the scientific notation is 1.235 × 10⁵. Coefficient: 1.235; Exponent: 5; E notation: 1.235E5; Engineering notation: 123.5 × 10³.

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Move the decimal point four places to the right to get 3.45, so the number is 3.45 × 10⁻⁴. A negative exponent means the original number is smaller than 1.

Scientific notation keeps one digit before the decimal point. Engineering notation chooses an exponent divisible by 3, so 123,456 becomes 123.5 × 10³, which reads directly as 123.5 thousand (kilo).

It is E notation for 1.2 × 10⁶, which is 1,200,000. The E stands for “times ten to the power of”.