Scientific Notation Calculator
Convert any number to scientific notation — mantissa, exponent, E notation and the plain-English scale name.
How it works
x = m × 10ᵉ, with 1 ≤ |m| < 10
Scientific notation writes a number as a mantissa between 1 and 10 times a power of ten. The exponent counts how many places the decimal point moved: positive for big numbers, negative for small ones. It makes very large and very small values easy to compare — you compare exponents first, mantissas second.
Worked example
4,500,000 = 4.5 × 10⁶: the decimal point moves 6 places left to turn 4,500,000 into 4.5. That’s the millions scale. Going small, 0.00052 = 5.2 × 10⁻⁴, with the point moving 4 places right.
Frequently asked questions
What is E notation?
A keyboard-friendly version of the same thing: 4.5e+6 means 4.5 × 10⁶. Calculators, spreadsheets and programming languages all use it because superscripts are hard to type.
Is the exponent the same as the number of zeros?
Only for round numbers like 1,000,000 = 1 × 10⁶. In general it counts decimal-point moves: 4,500,000 has six moves but only five zeros.
What are significant figures in scientific notation?
Exactly the digits of the mantissa. Writing 4.50 × 10⁶ (three significant figures) claims more precision than 4.5 × 10⁶ (two) — the notation makes precision explicit.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.