Scientific Notation Calculator
Convert between standard and scientific notation. Perform arithmetic on numbers in scientific notation.
About Scientific Notation
Scientific notation expresses any number as a coefficient (between 1 and 10) multiplied by a power of 10: a × 10^n. It is the standard way scientists and engineers handle very large numbers (like the distance to a star: 4.22 × 10^16 m) and very small numbers (like the mass of a proton: 1.67 × 10^−27 kg). The exponent n indicates how many places the decimal point moves.
Multiplying numbers in scientific notation is straightforward: multiply the coefficients and add the exponents. Division reverses that — divide coefficients and subtract exponents. Addition and subtraction require first aligning the exponents (converting both numbers to the same power of 10), then operating on the coefficients. Our Exponent Calculator covers general power calculations.
Normalizing the result means adjusting the coefficient back to the range [1, 10) by shifting the decimal and changing the exponent accordingly. For example, 23.5 × 10^4 normalizes to 2.35 × 10^5. This calculator handles all normalization automatically. Related tools: Log Calculator for logarithmic conversions.
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For a related calculation, use Half-Life Calculator to calculate remaining quantity, half-life, or time elapsed for radioactive decay and exponential processes. Alternatively, use Log Calculator to calculate logarithms in any base — natural log (ln), log base 10, log base 2, or custom base.
For the underlying method, read How to Use a Scientific Calculator: Functions, Angles, and Expression Order or Binary and Hexadecimal Explained: A Beginner's Guide.