Scientific Notation Format
Scientific notation expresses numbers as a coefficient (1-10) multiplied by a power of 10. It is used to represent very large or very small numbers compactly.
N = a x 10^b where 1 <= |a| < 10
e.g. 602,000,000 = 6.02 x 10^8
| Number | Scientific Notation |
|---|---|
| 1,000,000 | 1.0 x 10^6 |
| 0.000001 | 1.0 x 10^-6 |
| 299,792,458 | 2.998 x 10^8 (speed of light) |
| 0.000000001 | 1.0 x 10^-9 (nanometer) |
Frequently Asked Questions
In physics, chemistry, and astronomy to handle extremely large or small values without long strings of zeros. For example, the mass of a proton is 1.67 x 10^-27 kg, and the distance to the Andromeda galaxy is 2.4 x 10^22 meters.
E notation (like 6.02E23) is the same as scientific notation but written in plain text. 6.02E23 means 6.02 x 10^23. It is commonly used in calculators, spreadsheets, and programming languages.