Scientific Notation Converter
This scientific notation converter turns any number into the compact form m × 10ⁿ, where the mantissa m sits between 1 and 10 and the exponent n counts the power of ten. Enter a value as you would type it normally — 12345.678, 0.00042, or 900000000 — and the tool instantly shows both the standard scientific notation and the equivalent E notation used by calculators, spreadsheets, and programming languages. It is ideal for physics, chemistry, engineering, and any situation where very large or very small numbers become hard to read.
Scientific notation
× 10
E notation
The mantissa is rounded to 6 decimals. Scientific notation writes any number as m × 10ⁿ with 1 ≤ |m| < 10.
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How it works
Scientific notation rewrites a number as m × 10ⁿ, where the mantissa m has exactly one nonzero digit before the decimal point and n is a whole number. To find n, count how many places the decimal point must move to land right after the first significant digit: moving it left gives a positive exponent, moving it right gives a negative one. For example, 12345.678 becomes 1.234568 × 10⁴ because the point shifts four places left, and 0.00042 becomes 4.2 × 10⁻⁴ because it shifts four places right. E notation is the same value written with the letter e in place of × 10, so 1.234568 × 10⁴ is displayed as 1.234568e4 — the form you see on scientific calculators and in code.
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Preguntas frecuentes
- What is scientific notation?
- Scientific notation is a compact way of writing numbers as a mantissa multiplied by a power of ten, in the form m × 10ⁿ. The mantissa m is always at least 1 and less than 10, and the exponent n is a whole number that records how large or small the value is. For example, 300000 is written 3 × 10⁵ and 0.0025 is written 2.5 × 10⁻³. It keeps very large and very small numbers readable.
- What is E notation?
- E notation is the plain-text version of scientific notation used by calculators, spreadsheets, and programming languages. The letter e (or E) stands for "times ten to the power of", so 3 × 10⁵ is written 3e5 and 2.5 × 10⁻³ is written 2.5e-3. It carries exactly the same value as scientific notation; it is just easier to type and display on a single line.
- How do I find the exponent?
- Count how many places you must move the decimal point so that exactly one nonzero digit remains in front of it. If you move the point to the left, the exponent is positive and equals the number of places moved; if you move it to the right, the exponent is negative. So 45000 needs the point moved four places left, giving 4.5 × 10⁴, while 0.006 needs it moved three places right, giving 6 × 10⁻³.
- How is a negative number handled?
- The minus sign simply stays with the mantissa. A negative number has the same magnitude as its positive counterpart, so it uses the same exponent, only with a negative mantissa. For example, -12345.678 is written -1.234568 × 10⁴, and its E notation is -1.234568e4. The sign never affects the power of ten.
- Why does this converter round the mantissa?
- Numbers like 12345.678 have a mantissa (1.2345678) with more digits than are usually useful, so the converter rounds it to six decimal places for a clean, readable result. This matches the significant-figures convention used in science and engineering. The exponent is never rounded — only the mantissa is shortened — so the overall magnitude stays exact.