Scientific Notation Converter
Convert decimal numbers to and from scientific notation.
Overview
The Scientific Notation Converter rewrites a decimal number in scientific notation a * 10^b, or expands a scientific value back to ordinary decimal. Type 0.00000123 and out comes 1.23 * 10^-6; type 6.022e23 and read Avogadro's number in full.
It is built for chemistry students balancing concentration calculations, physicists working with universal constants, engineers reading datasheets and developers dealing with floating-point output. Either form is correct — picking the right one for context matters for readability.
How it works
A non-zero number is written as a * 10^b where 1 <= |a| < 10 is the mantissa (significand) and b is the integer exponent. To convert from decimal, shift the decimal point until exactly one non-zero digit is to the left; the exponent counts the shifts (negative if you moved right).
To go the other way, multiply the mantissa by 10^b directly. Engineering notation, a close relative, restricts the exponent to multiples of three so values match SI prefixes (kilo, mega, giga and so on).
Examples
0.000123 → 1.23 * 10^-4
6.022e23 → 602,200,000,000,000,000,000,000
299792458 → 2.99792458 * 10^8
0.000000000001 → 1 * 10^-12
FAQ
What's the difference between scientific and engineering notation?
Scientific allows any exponent. Engineering restricts the exponent to multiples of three so the mantissa stays in [1, 1000) and lines up with metric prefixes (n, μ, m, k, M, G).
Why use it?
It is much easier to compare 6.022e23 with 1.6e-19 at a glance than to count zeros in the decimal forms. Also less error-prone when copying values between calculations.
Are the digits all significant?
Yes — scientific notation makes significant figures explicit. 1.0 * 10^3 has two sig figs, while 1000 is ambiguous.
How is e notation related?
1.23e4 is computer-style scientific notation meaning 1.23 * 10^4. The converter accepts both written forms.
What about very small but nonzero numbers?
The converter handles 10^-300 and similar comfortably as a string. Underflow only matters once you start doing arithmetic in double precision.