Convert any number to scientific and engineering notation, and see its order of magnitude.
The method behind this calculator
Enter a number — very large or very small — and this calculator expresses it in scientific notation (a × 10ⁿ), engineering notation and E-notation.
It’s the compact way scientists write extreme values.
Step by step
- Enter the number.
- Read the scientific and engineering forms.
- Note the order of magnitude.
The calculation
a × 10ⁿ where 1 ≤ |a| < 10
engineering notation uses exponents in multiples of 3
The default scenario, worked through
The calculator opens with a number of 0.00042. On those figures the scientific notation is 4.2 × 10⁻⁴. Underneath, E notation comes out at 4.2000e-4 and Engineering at 420 × 10⁻⁶. Change any field and every figure updates as you type.
Frequently asked questions
What is scientific notation?
A way to write numbers as a coefficient between 1 and 10 times a power of ten, so 42000 becomes 4.2 × 10⁴.
What’s engineering notation?
Similar, but the exponent is always a multiple of three, matching metric prefixes like kilo and milli.
What is order of magnitude?
The power of ten closest to the number — a quick sense of its scale.