Scientific Notation Converter
Convert between standard numbers and scientific notation.
Also multiply and divide numbers in scientific notation with coefficient and exponent shown.
Scientific notation is a way of writing very large or very small numbers compactly — and it is the standard language of science, engineering, and computing. Once you understand the structure, converting back and forth becomes second nature.
Standard form: N = a × 10ⁿ
Where a (the coefficient) satisfies 1 ≤ |a| < 10, and n (the exponent) is any integer.
Converting a large number to scientific notation: Move the decimal point left until you have a number between 1 and 10. Count the moves — that count is your positive exponent.
Example: 4,500,000 → 4.5 × 10⁶
Converting a small number to scientific notation: Move the decimal point right until you have a number between 1 and 10. That count is your negative exponent.
Example: 0.000072 → 7.2 × 10⁻⁵
Multiplying in scientific notation: (a × 10ⁿ) × (b × 10ᵐ) = (a × b) × 10^(n+m)
Example: (3.0 × 10⁴) × (2.0 × 10³) = 6.0 × 10⁷
Dividing in scientific notation: (a × 10ⁿ) ÷ (b × 10ᵐ) = (a ÷ b) × 10^(n−m)
Worked example: The distance from Earth to the Sun is 149,600,000 km. In scientific notation: 1.496 × 10⁸ km
An electron has a mass of 0.000000000000000000000000000000911 kg. In scientific notation: 9.11 × 10⁻³¹ kg
Reference exponents:
- 10³ = thousand | 10⁶ = million | 10⁹ = billion | 10¹² = trillion
- 10⁻³ = milli | 10⁻⁶ = micro | 10⁻⁹ = nano | 10⁻¹² = pico
How we build and check this calculator
This calculator runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
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