Scientific Notation Converter — Standard, Engineering and E Notation
One number in four forms: decimal, scientific, engineering and E.
Runs on your device What you paste is processed by your own browser. It is never sent to a server, and it is not stored anywhere after you leave the page.
Short answer
A number can be converted to scientific notation for free in a web browser by typing it in either form: a plain decimal such as 0.000123, or notation already written as 1.23 × 10^-4 or 1.23e-4. Each line comes back in all four forms — the full decimal expansion, scientific notation with one digit before the point, engineering notation with the exponent as a multiple of three, and the E notation a computer writes — and the number of digits kept in the mantissa is adjustable.
At a glance
| Accepts | One number per line, plain or already in notation |
|---|---|
| Produces | Decimal, scientific, engineering and E notation |
| Processing | In your browser |
| Price | Free, no limits |
| Account | Not required |
The four forms are the same number, and which one is wanted depends entirely on where it is going. A report wants 1.23 × 10^-4. A datasheet wants 123 × 10^-6, because that reads straight off as microns. A spreadsheet cell wants 1.23e-4. A form field very often wants 0.000123 spelled out. So all four come back together.
The decimal row is the one that takes work. Ask a browser to print 1.23e-7 and it hands back 1.23e-7 — the exponent form is what JavaScript prefers past a certain magnitude, which on a page whose job is to show the other form would be answering the question with the question. The expansion here is built digit by digit instead.
How to use it
- 1
Type your numbers
One per line. A plain decimal, 1.23e-4, 1.23 × 10^-4 or a bare power like 10^6 all read the same way.
- 2
Choose how many decimals
The setting applies to the mantissa. Leave it automatic to keep every digit the number actually has.
- 3
Convert
Each line comes back as a table of all four forms.
- 4
Copy the result
Copy to the clipboard, or download it as a text file.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between scientific and engineering notation?
The exponent. Scientific notation keeps exactly one non-zero digit before the point, so 0.000123 is 1.23 × 10^-4. Engineering notation keeps the exponent a multiple of three, so the same number is 123 × 10^-6 — which maps directly onto the SI prefixes nano, micro, milli, kilo and mega.
Can it read notation as input?
Yes, and that is half of what it is for. 1.23e-4, 1.23E-4, 1.23 × 10^-4 and 1.23*10^-4 are all read identically, as are a plain decimal and a bare power of ten.
Why does the mantissa sometimes end in a long run of digits?
Floating-point arithmetic: dividing by a power of ten is not always exact in binary. Results are rounded to twelve significant digits before printing, which is far more precision than a typed input carries. Pick a fixed number of decimals to make it shorter.
How large a number can it take?
Anything a double holds, which is up to about 1.8 × 10^308. Past that there is nothing left to convert — the value has already overflowed to infinity before this page sees it.