Scientific Notation: How It Works and How to Calculate It

What is scientific notation?

Scientific notation writes a number as a coefficient multiplied by a power of ten. A value such as 602,200,000,000,000,000,000,000 can be written as 6.022 × 10^23.

How calculator notation works

Most expression calculators use e to represent powers of ten. For example, 6.022e23 means 6.022 × 10^23, while 1.38e-23 means 1.38 × 10^-23.

Multiplying scientific notation

Multiply the coefficients and add the exponents. For example, (2e3)(4e5) = 8e8. The calculator handles the exponent arithmetic for you.

Common mistakes

• Do not type spaces inside the exponent notation.
• Use a minus sign for negative exponents: 1e-9.
• Use parentheses when combining a scientific-notation value with other operations.