This scientific notation calculator turns a standard number into scientific notation and back again. It also adds, subtracts, multiplies and divides numbers written that way. Type 6,500,000 and you get 6.5 × 106. Type 4.7e-4 and you get 0.00047. People also search for it as a sci notation calculator, an exponential notation calculator or a scientific form calculator. It is the same job: write a number as a decimal between 1 and 10, times a power of 10.
How Do You Use This Scientific Notation Calculator?
- Pick a tab: Standard → Scientific, Scientific → Standard, Multiply, Divide, Add or Subtract.
- Type your number or numbers. Any of these work: 6500000, 6,500,000, 4.7e-4, 4.7*10^-4 or 4.7 x 10^-4.
- Press the button or hit Enter.
- Want fewer digits? Pick the number of significant figures under the result.
If your school writes decimals with a comma, like 4,7, that works too. A comma followed by exactly three digits, like 4,700, is read as a thousands separator, unless the number starts with 0 (so 0,375 is read as a decimal).
What Is Scientific Notation?
Scientific notation is a short way to write very big or very small numbers. You write one number between 1 and 10 (the mantissa, or coefficient), then multiply it by 10 raised to a power (the exponent). So 6,500,000 becomes 6.5 × 106, and 0.00047 becomes 4.7 × 10−4. A positive exponent means a big number. A negative exponent means a small one. Wikipedia’s page on scientific notation has the full formatting rules if you want the formal definition.
Here are four real numbers written both ways. The speed of light and the Avogadro constant are exact values fixed by the SI system, and you can check them on NIST’s page on fundamental physical constants.
| Quantity | Standard number | Scientific notation | E notation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed of light in a vacuum | 299,792,458 m/s | 2.99792458 × 108 m/s | 2.99792458E8 |
| Avogadro constant | 602,214,076,000,000,000,000,000 per mole | 6.02214076 × 1023 per mole | 6.02214076E23 |
| Mass of Earth (about) | 5,970,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg | 5.97 × 1024 kg | 5.97E24 |
| Wavelength of green light (about) | 0.00000055 m | 5.5 × 10−7 m | 5.5E-7 |
How Do You Convert a Number to Scientific Notation?
Move the decimal point until one non-zero digit sits in front of it. Count how many places you moved it. That count is your exponent. If you moved left, the exponent is positive. If you moved right, it is negative.
- 6,500,000: the decimal point starts at the far right. Move it 6 places left to get 6.5 × 106.
- 0.00047: move the point 4 places right to get 4.7 × 10−4.
- −0.0032: the minus sign stays out front, so you get −3.2 × 10−3.
How Do You Convert Scientific Notation Back to a Standard Number?
Look at the exponent. A positive exponent means move the decimal point that many places to the right and fill the gaps with zeros. A negative exponent means move it left. So 3.2 × 105 is 320,000, and 4.7 × 10−4 is 0.00047. This calculator writes out every digit, so 4.7e-8 shows as 0.000000047 instead of coming back as 4.7e-8.
How Do You Multiply Numbers in Scientific Notation?
Multiply the front numbers and add the exponents. Then check that the front number is still between 1 and 10, and fix it if it is not.
- (3.2 × 105) × (2 × 10−2): 3.2 × 2 = 6.4 and 5 + (−2) = 3, so the answer is 6.4 × 103, or 6,400.
- (4 × 103) × (5 × 102): 4 × 5 = 20 and 3 + 2 = 5, which gives 20 × 105. The front number is too big, so move the decimal one place left and add 1 to the exponent: 2 × 106.
How Do You Divide Numbers in Scientific Notation?
Divide the front numbers and subtract the exponent of the second number from the exponent of the first. Fix the front number if it ends up outside 1 to 10.
- (6 × 108) ÷ (3 × 103): 6 ÷ 3 = 2 and 8 − 3 = 5, so the answer is 2 × 105.
- (1.5 × 103) ÷ (3 × 105): 1.5 ÷ 3 = 0.5 and 3 − 5 = −2, giving 0.5 × 10−2. Move the decimal one place right and subtract 1 from the exponent: 5 × 10−3.
Some divisions never end, like 1 ÷ 3. The calculator stops at 15 significant digits and tells you when it rounded.
How Do You Add and Subtract Numbers in Scientific Notation?
Make the exponents match first. Then add or subtract the front numbers and keep the exponent. You do not add the exponents here. That rule is only for multiplying.
Take 3.2 × 105 + 4.5 × 104. Rewrite 4.5 × 104 as 0.45 × 105. Now add the front numbers: 3.2 + 0.45 = 3.65. The answer is 3.65 × 105, which is 365,000. Subtraction works the same way.
How Do You Read 5.5e-7 or 4.7e-5 on a Calculator?
The letter e means times ten to the power of. So 5.5e-7 is 5.5 × 10⁻⁷, which is 0.00000055. And 4.7e-5 is 4.7 × 10⁻⁵, which is 0.000047. A minus sign after the e means a small number, and no minus sign means a big one. Calculators switch to this form when the result has too many digits for the screen.
Going the other way, 6400 in scientific notation is 6.4 × 10³, because you move the decimal point three places left. Paste any of these into the Scientific → Standard tab above to check the work.
How Do You Type Scientific Notation on a Calculator?
Use the exponent key instead of typing × 10 ^ yourself. On Casio models it is the ×10x key. On the TI-30XS MultiView it is the x10ⁿ key, and other TI models use their own key, so check your manual. Sharp calculators usually label it EXP. Phone apps, spreadsheets and code use the letter e or E, so 6.5 × 106 is typed as 6.5e6.
On most models, that key makes 2 × 103 behave like one number. Type 6 ÷ 2 × 103 with the normal multiply key and the calculator divides first, then multiplies, and gets 3,000. Type it with the exponent key and it reads 6 ÷ 2,000 and gets 0.003. Two ways of typing it, two different answers. Our order of operations guide explains why. If you own a Casio fx-991 or a TI-36X Pro, those pages compare each one with this online tool, and the beginner’s guide to using a scientific calculator covers the basics.
How Many Significant Figures Should You Keep?
Keep as many as your least precise measurement has. In scientific notation, the digits in the front number are the significant figures, so 6.50 × 106 shows three and 6.5 × 106 shows two. Pick a number in the Significant figures box under the result and the calculator rounds and pads with zeros to match.
What Is the Difference Between Scientific, E, and Engineering Notation?
Scientific notation keeps the front number between 1 and 10. E notation is the same thing typed on one line, so 6.5E6 means 6.5 × 106. Engineering notation only uses exponents that are multiples of 3 (103, 106, 10−9), which lines up with unit prefixes like kilo, mega and nano. The front number can then be anywhere from 1 to 999. For example, 4.7 × 10−4 is 470 × 10−6 in engineering notation. The NIST Guide for the Use of the International System of Units lists the SI prefixes.
What Mistakes Should You Watch For?
- A front number outside 1 to 10, like 32 × 104. The value is right, but it is not proper scientific notation. This calculator fixes it for you.
- Adding the exponents when you add numbers. Only multiplying adds exponents.
- Dropping the minus sign. 10−3 is 0.001, not 1,000.
- Mixing up comma and dot. Writing 4,7 for 4.7 is normal in Brazil and South Africa, while the US uses a dot. This calculator reads both.
- Using a calculator your exam does not allow. Rules change from exam to exam, so check the list for yours.
Is This Scientific Notation Calculator Accurate?
Yes. It does the math with whole numbers in your browser, so there is no hidden rounding when you convert, multiply, add or subtract. Only division can run long, so it stops at 15 significant digits and tells you when it rounded. Nothing you type is sent anywhere. We checked it against every worked example on this page and the NIST constants in the table above. Last updated: October 2026.
What Else Can You Do on This Site?
Need exact answers with fractions? Use the fraction calculator. For trig, logs and statistics, head to the free online scientific calculator. New to all those buttons? Start with how to use a scientific calculator.