Scientific Notation Calculator
Free scientific notation converter — turn any number into scientific, E, and engineering notation, and back to decimal.
Type a number in any form — plain (12345), scientific (1.2345e4 or 1.2345 × 10^4) — and get every notation back.
Everyday Uses
Science class
Write huge or tiny quantities compactly in scientific notation.
Engineering
Switch to engineering notation that lines up with SI prefixes.
Computing
Read and convert E-notation like 6.022e23 instantly.
Big & small
Compare orders of magnitude at a glance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is scientific notation?
Scientific notation writes a number as a coefficient between 1 and 10 multiplied by a power of ten. For example 6,022 becomes 6.022 × 10³, and 0.00042 becomes 4.2 × 10⁻⁴. It makes very large and very small numbers compact and easy to compare.
How do you convert a number to scientific notation?
Move the decimal point until only one non-zero digit is on its left, and count the moves. Moving left gives a positive exponent, moving right gives a negative one. 45,000 → move 4 places left → 4.5 × 10⁴. 0.0032 → move 3 places right → 3.2 × 10⁻³.
What is engineering notation?
Engineering notation is like scientific notation but restricts the exponent to multiples of three (…, 10⁻³, 10⁰, 10³, 10⁶ …) so it aligns with SI prefixes like milli, kilo, and mega. So 45,000 is 45 × 10³ in engineering notation rather than 4.5 × 10⁴.