Scientific Notation Calculator guide
Scientific Notation Calculator: Standard Form Made Easy
Use our scientific notation calculator to convert numbers to and from scientific notation (standard form), E notation and engineering notation.
By the AllCalculator editorial teamUpdated 16 October 20261 min read
Scientific notation, called standard form in UK schools, is a neat way to write very big or very small numbers. Our Scientific Notation Calculator converts numbers and does sums with them.
How to use the calculator (Scientific Notation Calculator)
- Choose to convert a number or multiply, divide, add or subtract two numbers.
- Type your numbers as decimals, or like 6.02e23 or 6.02 × 10^23.
You'll see the result in scientific notation, E notation, engineering notation and as a decimal.
How it works
A number in scientific notation is written as a × 10ⁿ, where a is at least 1 and less than 10, and n is a whole number.
| Decimal | Scientific notation |
|---|---|
| 45,200 | 4.52 × 10⁴ |
| 0.000452 | 4.52 × 10⁻⁴ |
| 6,020,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | 6.02 × 10²³ |
Engineering notation uses powers that are multiples of 3, matching prefixes like kilo (10³), mega (10⁶) and micro (10⁻⁶).
A worked example
With the calculator's default settings, 0.000452 is 4.52 × 10⁻⁴. In engineering notation it's 452 × 10⁻⁶.
Calculating in standard form
- Multiplying: multiply the numbers and add the powers.
- Dividing: divide the numbers and subtract the powers.
- Adding and subtracting: convert to the same power first.
Frequently asked questions
What's E notation?
The way calculators and computers show standard form: 4.52e-4 means 4.52 × 10⁻⁴.
Why use scientific notation?
It makes huge and tiny numbers easier to read, compare and calculate with, which is why it's used in science.
For exact arithmetic on huge whole numbers, use our Big Number Calculator.
Sources and further reading
- GOV.UK: National curriculum in England – mathematicsgov.uk
- Wolfram MathWorld: Scientific notationmathworld.wolfram.com
Links open official and independent websites in a new tab.
This guide is general information to help you understand your options. It isn't financial, tax, legal or building advice and doesn't take your personal circumstances into account. Figures were checked when the guide was last updated and can change, so confirm anything important with GOV.UK, HMRC, a regulated adviser or a qualified tradesperson.