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Scientific Notation Calculator

Convert any number to scientific notation, E notation and engineering notation, count its significant figures and round to a set number of sig figs.

Scientific notation
4.56 × 10⁻⁴
E notation
4.56e-4
Engineering notation
456 × 10^-6
Decimal
0.000456
Significant figures in your number
3

Very big and very small numbers

Scientific notation writes a number as a value between 1 and 10 times a power of ten: 0.000456 becomes 4.56 × 10⁻⁴ and 6,020,000 becomes 6.02 × 10⁶. Calculators and spreadsheets show the same thing as E notation (4.56e-4), and engineers prefer powers that are multiples of three, which line up with prefixes like kilo and milli. The calculator also counts significant figures in the number you type, following the usual school rules, and can round to any number of them.

How to use it

  1. 1

    Type the number

    Like 0.000456, 6020000 or 3.0e8.

  2. 2

    Round (optional)

    Enter how many significant figures to keep.

  3. 3

    Read the notations

    Scientific, E, engineering and decimal forms.

Frequently asked questions

How many significant figures does 0.00450 have?

Three: 4, 5 and the final 0. Leading zeros don't count, but trailing zeros after a decimal point do.

Is 1200 two or four significant figures?

It's ambiguous; by convention it's treated as two. Write 1200. or 1.200 × 10³ to show four.

What is engineering notation?

Like scientific notation, but the exponent is always a multiple of 3: 45,600 is 45.6 × 10³ (45.6 thousand).

Is anything sent to a server?

No. Everything is calculated in your browser, and nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere.

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