What is scientific notation?

Scientific notation writes a number as a × 10ⁿ where 1 ≤ |a| < 10 and n is an integer. For example, 0.000034 = 3.4 × 10⁻⁵ and 5,800,000 = 5.8 × 10⁶.

How do I add numbers in scientific notation?

To add or subtract, first align the exponents by adjusting the smaller one to match the larger. Then add or subtract the coefficients and simplify back to proper scientific notation.

How does multiplication work in scientific notation?

Multiply the coefficients together and add the exponents. For example, (3 × 10⁴) × (2 × 10³) = 6 × 10⁷.

How does division work in scientific notation?

Divide the coefficients and subtract the exponents. For example, (6 × 10⁸) ÷ (3 × 10⁴) = 2 × 10⁴.

E-notation is a shorthand where "E" replaces "× 10^". So 3.4E-5 means 3.4 × 10⁻⁵. Many calculators and programming languages use this format.

Why does my result have many decimal places?

Floating-point arithmetic can introduce tiny rounding errors. Results are rounded to 10 significant figures to display cleanly. You can adjust precision in the output.

Scientific Notation Calculator

Name: Scientific Notation Calculator
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Convert numbers to/from scientific notation and perform arithmetic operations with step-by-step explanations.

Enter a number in standard form or in scientific notation (use e for the exponent, e.g. 3.4e-5).

Number Decimal places in coefficient

Enter a number on the left and click Convert or Calculate to see the result here.

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Summary

Convert numbers to/from scientific notation and perform arithmetic operations with step-by-step explanations.

How it works

Choose a mode: Convert a number, or perform arithmetic on two scientific-notation values.
For conversion, enter a number in standard form or in scientific notation and click Convert.
For arithmetic, enter Coefficient A and Exponent A, then Coefficient B and Exponent B.
Select the operation (add, subtract, multiply, or divide) and click Calculate.
The result appears in both scientific notation and standard decimal form, with step-by-step working shown below.

Use cases

Convert astronomical distances like 149,600,000 km to 1.496 × 10⁸ km.
Work with very small numbers in chemistry, such as atomic radii or Avogadro's number.
Multiply or divide values in physics equations without losing precision.
Check your manual scientific-notation arithmetic against a correct reference.
Understand the rules of scientific notation for homework or exam revision.
Present engineering figures in a compact, internationally understood format.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-06-10 · Reviewed by Nham Vu