Scientific Notation Calculator
Convert any number to scientific notation, or convert scientific notation back to a standard number.
What Is Scientific Notation?
Scientific notation writes a number as a × 10^b, where a is between 1 and 10. It's the standard way scientists write very large numbers (like the distance to a star) or very small ones (like the size of an atom) without writing out every digit.
Worked example
Convert 45,000 to scientific notation.
Move the decimal point 4 places left: 4.5, so 45,000 = 4.5 × 10^4.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is scientific notation?
Scientific notation writes a number as a coefficient between 1 and 10, multiplied by a power of 10. It's a compact way to write very large or very small numbers without a long string of zeros.
How do you convert a large number to scientific notation?
Move the decimal point left until only one nonzero digit remains before it. The number of places you moved it becomes the positive exponent on 10.
How do you convert a small decimal to scientific notation?
Move the decimal point right until only one nonzero digit remains before it. The number of places you moved it becomes a negative exponent on 10.
Related Calculators
- LCM Calculator — General Math
- GCF Calculator — General Math
- LCD Calculator — General Math
- Factors Calculator — General Math