Scientific notation calculator.

How scientific notation works

Scientific notation writes a number as N × 10ⁿ, where N is a number from 1 to 10 and n is a whole-number exponent. To convert, move the decimal point until one non-zero digit is left of it. If you moved it to the left n places, n is positive; if you moved it to the right, n is negative. A very large or very small number becomes short: 602,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 is 6.02 × 10²³ and 0.00045 is 4.5 × 10⁻⁴.

Adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing

Add or subtract: rewrite both numbers with the same exponent, then add or subtract the N values. Multiply: multiply the N values and add the exponents. Divide: divide the N values and subtract the exponent of the divisor from the exponent of the dividend. If the N value ends up outside 1 to 10, shift the decimal point and adjust the exponent, as 38.7 × 10²¹ becomes 3.87 × 10²². This tool also raises a number to a whole-number power from −1000 to 1000.

Worked examples

Convert 45,600: move the decimal point four places left, giving 4.56 × 10⁴. Convert 0.000450: move it four places right, giving 4.50 × 10⁻⁴ (the trailing zero you typed is kept). Add 3.2 × 10⁵ + 4.5 × 10⁴: write the second as 0.45 × 10⁵ and add to get 3.65 × 10⁵. Divide 8.4 × 10⁶ by 2.1 × 10²: 8.4 ÷ 2.1 = 4 and 6 − 2 = 4, so 4 × 10⁴. Square 3 × 10⁴: 3² = 9 and 4 × 2 = 8, so 9 × 10⁸.

E notation and engineering notation

Calculators and programming languages often write m × 10ⁿ as mEn or men, so 6.022 × 10²³ is 6.022E23 and 1.6 × 10⁻³⁵ is 1.6E-35. Engineering notation is the version where the exponent is always divisible by three, matching the metric prefixes: 531,000 is 531 × 10³ rather than 5.31 × 10⁵. Both are shown for every answer. To move a value between prefixes use the SI prefix converter.

Significant figures

The converter keeps the digits you type, so 0.000450 becomes 4.50 × 10⁻⁴ (three significant figures). A whole number typed without a decimal point loses its trailing zeros, because they may only be placeholders: 1400 becomes 1.4 × 10³. Type 1.400e3 to keep four. The Calculate mode gives the exact result to the digits you choose and does not apply sig fig rounding; for that use the sig fig arithmetic calculator.

Sources, opened 8 October 2026: Chemistry LibreTexts, 2.2: Scientific Notation - Writing Large and Small Numbers (moving the decimal point to a number from 1 to 10, the sign of the exponent, and the rules for adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing); Wikipedia, Scientific notation (E notation, 6.022E23 and 1.6E-35); Wikipedia, Engineering notation (exponent of ten divisible by three, 531×10³ example).

Note: Educational calculator. Follow your instructor’s conventions for significant figures and for whether the N value must be at least 1 and below 10.