Scientific Notation Calculator

Convert numbers between standard decimal form and scientific notation. The calculator supports Standard to scientific with a single number input, and Scientific to standard with separate Coefficient and Exponent inputs.

How to use this calculator

1. Select the conversion direction.
2. For standard to scientific, enter the decimal number.
3. For scientific to standard, enter the coefficient and exponent.
4. Review scientific notation, standard notation, and E notation.

For large data sets that need summary measures after conversion, pair this with the statistics calculator.

Formula

Scientific notation writes a number as:

$a \times 10^n$

The coefficient a is usually at least 1 and less than 10, and n is an integer exponent.

Worked examples

For 45,000, move the decimal four places to make 4.5:

$45000 = 4.5 \times 10^4$

For coefficient 7.2 and exponent −4:

$7.2 \times 10^{-4} = 0.00072$

Reading the exponent

A positive exponent means the standard number is larger than the coefficient. A negative exponent means it is a small decimal. E notation is the same idea in compact computer form, so 1.23E4 equals 12,300. For display resolution or pixel counts, the PPI calculator is another place where compact number formats can be useful.