Scientific Notation Converter
Scientific notation expresses numbers as a x 10^n where 1 <= |a| < 10. Move the decimal point until one non-zero digit remains before it; the exponent n counts how many places you moved. 299792458 = 2.99792458 x 10^8. 0.000001 = 1 x 10^-6. Engineering notation uses exponents divisible by 3: 299.8 x 10^6. In code, use E notation: 2.998e8.
Convert numbers to and from scientific notation instantly. Supports very large and very small numbers. Shows mantissa, exponent, and engineering notation. Handles negative numbers and decimal inputs. Presets for common scientific values like speed of light, Avogadro number, and Planck constant.
Conversion Mode
Presets
Number Input
Result
2.99792458 x 10^8299.792458 x 10^62.99792458e8Common Scientific Constants
| Constant | Value | Scientific | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed of light | 299,792,458 | 2.998 x 10^8 | m/s |
| Gravitational const. | 0.0000000000667430 | 6.674 x 10^-11 | m^3/(kg s^2) |
| Planck constant | 0.000...000662607 | 6.626 x 10^-34 | J s |
| Boltzmann const. | 0.000...001380649 | 1.381 x 10^-23 | J/K |
| Avogadro number | 602,214,076... | 6.022 x 10^23 | mol^-1 |
| Electron mass | 0.000...000910938 | 9.109 x 10^-31 | kg |
| Proton mass | 0.000...001672622 | 1.673 x 10^-27 | kg |
| Earth mass | 5,972,000,000... | 5.972 x 10^24 | kg |
| Sun mass | 1,989,000,000... | 1.989 x 10^30 | kg |
SI Prefixes & Engineering Notation
| Prefix | Symbol | Factor | Exponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| tera | T | 1,000,000,000,000 | 10^12 |
| giga | G | 1,000,000,000 | 10^9 |
| mega | M | 1,000,000 | 10^6 |
| kilo | k | 1,000 | 10^3 |
| (base) | 1 | 10^0 | |
| milli | m | 0.001 | 10^-3 |
| micro | u | 0.000001 | 10^-6 |
| nano | n | 0.000000001 | 10^-9 |
| pico | p | 0.000000000001 | 10^-12 |
How to Use
- 1
Choose conversion direction
Select Standard to Scientific to convert a regular number, or Scientific to Standard to convert from scientific notation back to a regular number.
- 2
Enter the number
Type any number (e.g., 299792458 or 0.000001). Or use presets for common scientific constants like the speed of light, Avogadro number, or electron mass.
- 3
View the result
See the number in scientific notation (a x 10^n), engineering notation (exponent divisible by 3), and E notation (aEn). The mantissa and exponent are shown separately.
- 4
Copy the result
Click copy to copy the scientific notation, engineering notation, or E notation to your clipboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is scientific notation?
- Scientific notation expresses numbers in the form a x 10^n, where 1 <= |a| < 10 and n is an integer. It makes very large or very small numbers easier to read and compare. Examples: 299,792,458 = 2.99792458 x 10^8 (speed of light in m/s), 0.000000001 = 1 x 10^-9 (one nanometer in meters). The number "a" is called the mantissa or coefficient, and "n" is the exponent.
- How do you convert a number to scientific notation?
- Move the decimal point until exactly one non-zero digit is to the left. Count how many places you moved: if you moved left, the exponent is positive; if right, it is negative. Example: 45,600 = 4.56 x 10^4 (moved decimal 4 places left). 0.00032 = 3.2 x 10^-4 (moved decimal 4 places right). The exponent equals the number of decimal places moved.
- What is engineering notation?
- Engineering notation is a variant of scientific notation where the exponent is always a multiple of 3, aligning with SI prefixes (kilo, mega, giga, milli, micro, nano). Example: 45,600 = 45.6 x 10^3 (kilo) instead of 4.56 x 10^4. 0.00032 = 320 x 10^-6 (micro) instead of 3.2 x 10^-4. This makes it easy to read values in practical units.
- What is E notation in programming?
- E notation represents scientific notation in programming languages: aEn or aen means a x 10^n. Examples: 2.998e8 = 299,800,000, 1.6e-19 = 0.00000000000000000016 (electron charge in coulombs). Most languages support E notation: JavaScript (2.998e8), Python (2.998e8), C/C++ (2.998e8), Java (2.998e8). It is the standard way to write very large or small constants in code.
- What are significant figures in scientific notation?
- In scientific notation, all digits in the mantissa are significant. 2.998 x 10^8 has 4 significant figures. 3.0 x 10^8 has 2 significant figures (the trailing zero is significant). 3 x 10^8 has 1 significant figure. This is an advantage of scientific notation: it makes the precision of a measurement unambiguous, unlike standard notation where trailing zeros can be ambiguous.
- How do you multiply and divide in scientific notation?
- To multiply: multiply the mantissas and add the exponents. (2 x 10^3) x (3 x 10^4) = 6 x 10^7. To divide: divide the mantissas and subtract the exponents. (6 x 10^8) / (2 x 10^3) = 3 x 10^5. If the result mantissa is >= 10 or < 1, adjust: (5 x 10^3) x (4 x 10^2) = 20 x 10^5 = 2 x 10^6.