Scientific Notation Translator
Convert a standard number into scientific notation, or a coefficient \u00d7 10^exponent back into a standard number.
Why scientific notation exists
Scientific notation (a × 10n, where 1 ≤ a < 10) exists to make very large or very small numbers easy to read and compare. 300,000,000 and 3 × 108 are the same value, but the second makes the scale immediately obvious.
A conversion mistake to avoid
When converting back to standard form, it's easy to move the decimal point the wrong direction. A negative exponent moves the decimal left, making the number smaller; a positive exponent moves it right, making the number larger.