Scientific notation is a compact format for writing very large or very small numbers. It is most often used in scientific fields.

Scientific notation separates a number into two parts: a decimal fraction, usually between 1 and 9.9999... , and a power of ten. Thus 1.23 x 10⁴ means 1.23 times 10 to the fourth power or 12,300; 5.67 x 10^-8 means 5.67 divided by 10 to the eighth power or 0.0000000567.

When you use the Scientific Notation Tutor, you will need to use this symbol ^ to indicate the exponent.

For example: 1.23 x 10⁴ becomes 1.23 x 10^4 and 5.67 x 10^-8 becomes 5.67 x 10^-8 .