Scientific Notation Calculator — Convert & Calculate
Scientific Notation
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Standard Form
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Engineering Notation
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Conversion Steps
Understanding Scientific Notation
Scientific notation expresses numbers as a coefficient between 1 and 10 multiplied by a power of 10. For example, the speed of light (299,792,458 m/s) is written as 2.998 × 10^8, and the charge of an electron is written as 1.602 × 10^-19.
To convert a number to scientific notation, move the decimal point until you have a number between 1 and 10, then count how many places you moved it. Moving left gives a positive exponent; moving right gives a negative exponent.
Engineering notation restricts the exponent to multiples of 3, corresponding to metric prefixes like kilo, mega, giga, milli, micro, nano. This calculator shows both scientific and engineering notation with step-by-step conversion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is scientific notation?
Scientific notation expresses numbers as a coefficient between 1 and 10 multiplied by a power of 10. For example, 6,500,000 becomes 6.5 × 10^6 and 0.00042 becomes 4.2 × 10^-4.
What is the difference between scientific and engineering notation?
In scientific notation, the coefficient is between 1 and 10. In engineering notation, the exponent is restricted to multiples of 3, making the coefficient between 1 and 1000. This aligns with metric prefixes.
How do you multiply numbers in scientific notation?
Multiply the coefficients and add the exponents. For example, (3 × 10^4) times (2 × 10^5) equals 6 × 10^9.
How do you add or subtract in scientific notation?
First adjust the numbers so they have the same exponent, then add or subtract the coefficients. For example, 3.5 × 10^4 + 2.1 × 10^3 = 3.5 × 10^4 + 0.21 × 10^4 = 3.71 × 10^4.