Scientific Notation Calculator
Convert numbers to and from scientific notation. Type a regular number or one in scientific notation (like 1.23e5) and see it in scientific, E, and engineering notation, plus standard form.
Scientific notation
1.23 × 10⁵
Check the highlighted fields to see your result.
- E notation
- 1.23E5
- Engineering notation
- 123 × 10³
- Standard form
- 123,000
Results are estimates for information only and do not constitute financial, medical, or legal advice.
How scientific notation works
Scientific notation writes a number as a coefficient between 1 and 10 times a power of 10. It makes very large and very small numbers easy to read and compare, like the distance to the Sun (1.496 × 10¹¹ m) or the size of a bacterium (2 × 10⁻⁶ m).
The form
a × 10ⁿ, with 1 ≤ |a| < 10 and n a whole number
Worked example
Write 123,000 in scientific notation.
- Move the decimal point 5 places to the left: 1.23000.
- The coefficient is 1.23 and the exponent is 5.
- Result: 1.23 × 10⁵ (or 1.23E5).
Frequently asked questions
What does E mean in a number like 1.23E5?
E stands for "times 10 to the power of." Calculators and spreadsheets use it because they cannot show superscripts, so 1.23E5 means 1.23 × 10⁵, or 123,000. A negative exponent, like 4.5E−4, means a small number: 0.00045.
What is engineering notation?
A version of scientific notation where the exponent is always a multiple of 3, so the number lines up with metric prefixes: 10³ is kilo, 10⁶ is mega, 10⁻³ is milli, 10⁻⁶ is micro. For example, 0.00045 A = 450 × 10⁻⁶ A = 450 µA.
How do I convert a number to scientific notation by hand?
Move the decimal point until only one non-zero digit is left of it. Count how many places you moved it: that is the exponent. Moving left gives a positive exponent; moving right, a negative one.