Convert to and from scientific, engineering and E notation, and do arithmetic in it.
Scientific notation expresses any number as a coefficient between 1 and 10 multiplied by a power of 10. It is compact for very large or very small values and makes multiplication and division easy: multiply the coefficients and add (or subtract) the exponents. Engineering notation uses the same structure but restricts the exponent to multiples of 3 so they align with SI prefixes (kilo-, mega-, giga-, milli-, micro-, etc.).
Scientific notation
x = a × 10^e where 1 ≤ |a| < 10
Multiplication in scientific notation
(a₁ × 10^e₁) × (a₂ × 10^e₂) = (a₁·a₂) × 10^(e₁+e₂)
Both use a coefficient times a power of 10. Scientific notation forces the coefficient between 1 and 10 (exponent can be any integer). Engineering notation forces the exponent to be a multiple of 3 — so the same number may have a coefficient between 1 and 999. This aligns with SI prefixes: 1 × 10³ = 1 kilo, 1 × 10⁶ = 1 mega, etc.
Multiply the coefficients and add the exponents: (3.0 × 10⁴) × (2.0 × 10³) = 6.0 × 10⁷. If the new coefficient is ≥ 10, divide it by 10 and add 1 to the exponent to normalize.
'1.23E+4' means 1.23 × 10⁴ = 12300. It is the text representation used in programming languages, spreadsheets and scientific instruments where superscripts cannot be displayed.