SL 1.1—Scientific notation

Normalize a number into scientific notation.

Move the decimal point until the coefficient is at least 1 and less than 10; the number of places becomes the integer exponent.

Worked example
0.00052 = 5.2 × 10⁻⁴ because the decimal moves four places right.

Worked example
Write 7.1 × 10⁵ as an ordinary number. 710000; a positive exponent moves the decimal right.

Common boundary
E notation on a calculator is a display format, not the required written form.