 Scientific notation

Scientific notation writes a nonzero real quantity as $a\times 10^n$ with an integer $n$ and $1\le |a|<10$. For example, $0.00072=7.2\times 10^{-4}$ and $530000=5.3\times 10^5$.

The exponent records the scale while the significand $a$ records the reported digits. Multiplication adds the exponents, so $(2\times 10^3)(3\times 10^{-5})=6\times 10^{-2}$. The displayed precision must still reflect the accuracy of the underlying measurement; rewriting a value does not add information. The number zero is written separately because the normalized form excludes it.

Scientific notation is a mathematical method used to express very large or very small numbers in a more compact and manageable form. It takes the general form of: \[ a \times 10^n \] where: - \( a \) is a coefficient that is typically a number greater than or equal to 1 and less than 10 (1 ≤ \( a \) < 10).