Scientific notation
A number is written as one non-zero digit before the decimal point, times a power of ten: 47,000 is 4.7 × 10⁴ and 0.00033 is 3.3 × 10⁻⁴. On calculators and in code it is written with an E: 4.7E4, 3.3E-4.
Engineering notation
The power of ten is always a multiple of three, so the number in front ranges from 1 to just under 1,000: 47,000 is 47 × 10³ and 0.00033 is 330 × 10⁻⁶. That lines up with SI prefixes:
- 10¹² tera (T), 10⁹ giga (G), 10⁶ mega (M), 10³ kilo (k)
- 10⁻³ milli (m), 10⁻⁶ micro (µ), 10⁻⁹ nano (n), 10⁻¹² pico (p)
So 47 × 10³ Ω reads directly as 47 kΩ, and 330 × 10⁻⁶ F as 330 µF.
Converting
From scientific to engineering notation, move the decimal point right until the exponent is a multiple of three, lowering the exponent by one for each step. 4.7 × 10⁴ becomes 47 × 10³. 2.2 × 10⁻⁸ becomes 22 × 10⁻⁹, which is 22 nF for a capacitor.
Which to use
Scientific notation suits physics and chemistry, where numbers span many orders of magnitude and the significant figures matter. Engineering notation suits electronics and measurements, where values are marked with SI prefixes. Both show the same value; neither changes the precision, so keep the significant figures the same when converting.
Convert with the Engineering Notation Converter or the Scientific Notation Converter, and round to the right number of digits with the Significant Figures Calculator.