Scientific Notation Calculator

Convert between standard form and scientific notation. Also shows engineering notation.

By Konstantin Iakovlev · Updated September 2026 · Source: Khan Academy

Direction

Scientific Notation

1.23456789 × 10^8

Representations

Standard Form123,456,789
Scientific1.23456789 × 10^8
Engineering123.4568 × 10^6

Use the Scientific Notation Calculator above to calculate your results. Enter your values and see instant results — all calculations run in your browser.

Disclaimer: This calculator is for informational purposes only. Results are estimates based on the information you provide and the assumptions described on this page.

How It Works

Converting numbers between standard decimal form, scientific notation, and engineering notation is the everyday work of anyone handling values that are enormous or vanishingly small. Astrophysicists measure distances in light-years; nanotechnologists work in nanometers, and a nanometer is 10^-9 meters.

To write a number in scientific notation, locate the first non-zero digit and shift the decimal point until it sits just to the right of that digit. The number of places you moved becomes the exponent of 10, positive for large numbers and negative for small ones. Engineering notation is a close cousin in which the exponent is always a multiple of 3 (for example 10^3, 10^6, 10^-3), which lines up neatly with prefixes such as kilo, mega, and nano.

Double-check the sign of the exponent, because that is where errors hide on the very largest and smallest values. Scientific notation keeps exactly one non-zero digit ahead of the decimal point, while engineering notation permits one, two, or three. Pay attention to significant figures as well: the calculator handles the mechanics, but your final answer should carry no more precision than your original input had.

Example: Writing the US National Debt in Scientific Notation

  1. 1 Total public debt outstanding was $40,097,834,028,442.07 on September 22, 2026 (U.S. Treasury, Debt to the Penny). Rounded to $40.1 trillion, enter it as 40100000000000 (commas are accepted too).
  2. 2 Scientific notation: moving the decimal point 13 places to the left leaves 4.01, so the calculator shows 4.01 × 10^13.
  3. 3 Engineering notation needs an exponent that is a multiple of 3, so the calculator steps down to 10^12 and shows 40.1000 × 10^12. The standard form reads 40,100,000,000,000.
  4. 4 10^12 is the factor of the SI prefix tera and, in dollar amounts, one trillion, so the engineering form reads straight off as 40.1 trillion dollars.

Source: Khan Academy · Last updated: September 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you convert a number to scientific notation?
Move the decimal point until you have a number between 1 and 10, then multiply by 10 raised to the number of places moved. For example, 45,600 = 4.56 x 10⁴ (moved 4 places left).
What is engineering notation?
Engineering notation is similar to scientific notation but the exponent is always a multiple of 3 (matching metric prefixes). For example, 45,600 = 45.6 x 10³ instead of 4.56 x 10⁴.
How do you multiply numbers in scientific notation?
Multiply the coefficients and add the exponents. For example, (3 x 10⁴) x (2 x 10³) = 6 x 10⁷.

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