How to Type Scientific Notation
Master the art of typing exponents, powers of ten, and chemical formulas on any keyboard.
What is Scientific Notation?
Scientific notation is a way of expressing numbers that are too large or too small to be conveniently written in decimal form. It is commonly used by scientists, mathematicians, and engineers.
Example: 5.97 × 1024 kg (Earth's mass)
Three ways to write scientific notation
The same number can be written in three ways, depending on where it will be read:
- Typeset:
6.02 × 10²³– for reports, papers, slides and anything a person will read. - E notation:
6.02E23or6.02e23– used by calculators, spreadsheets and programming languages. The E means “times ten to the power of”, not Euler’s number e. - Caret notation:
6.02 x 10^23– a plain-text fallback for chat or email when you cannot type superscripts.
How to type scientific notation in each app
Here is how to produce 6.02 × 10²³ (Avogadro’s number) in the tools people use most.
| Where | How to type it |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Word (Windows) | Type 6.02 × 10, press Ctrl+Shift+= to switch superscript on, type 23, and press the shortcut again to switch it off. For ×, type 00D7 and press Alt+X. |
| Microsoft Word (Mac) | Same steps, with Cmd+Shift+= for superscript. Insert × from the Character Viewer (Ctrl+Cmd+Space, search “multiplication”). |
| Google Docs | Superscript is Ctrl+. (Cmd+. on Mac). For ×, use Insert → Special characters and search “multiplication”. |
| Excel | Type 6.02E23 – Excel stores the number and shows 6.02E+23. To control the decimals, use Format Cells → Number → Scientific. |
| Google Sheets | Type 6.02E23, then Format → Number → Scientific. |
| Scientific calculator | Use the EE key (TI) or the EXP / ×10ˣ key (Casio): 6.02 EE 23. Avoid typing “× 10 ^” – it adds an extra multiplication step that can break the order of operations. |
| LaTeX | $6.02 \times 10^{23}$, or with the siunitx package \num{6.02e23}. |
| Python, JavaScript, C | 6.02e23 – a number literal, no multiplication needed. |
| Anywhere else (plain text) | Copy the superscript digits from the table below or from the scientific keyboard: they stay superscript when pasted into chat, email or a spreadsheet cell. |
Superscript digits and the times sign
These are real Unicode characters, so they keep their position when copied. The Alt+X method works in Word, WordPad and Outlook; the Alt codes work in most Windows desktop apps (hold Alt and type the digits on the numeric keypad).
| Character | Unicode | Word (Alt+X) | Alt code |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⁰ | U+2070 | 2070 then Alt+X | — |
| ¹ | U+00B9 | 00B9 then Alt+X | Alt+0185 |
| ² | U+00B2 | 00B2 then Alt+X | Alt+0178 |
| ³ | U+00B3 | 00B3 then Alt+X | Alt+0179 |
| ⁴ | U+2074 | 2074 then Alt+X | — |
| ⁵ | U+2075 | 2075 then Alt+X | — |
| ⁶ | U+2076 | 2076 then Alt+X | — |
| ⁷ | U+2077 | 2077 then Alt+X | — |
| ⁸ | U+2078 | 2078 then Alt+X | — |
| ⁹ | U+2079 | 2079 then Alt+X | — |
| ⁻ | U+207B | 207B then Alt+X | — |
| × | U+00D7 | 00D7 then Alt+X | Alt+0215 |
On a Mac, open the Character Viewer (Ctrl+Cmd+Space) and search “superscript”. On iPhone and Android, copy the characters from this page or from the keyboard.
Negative exponents and examples
Small numbers use a negative exponent, written with the superscript minus ⁻: the charge of an electron is 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ C. Some values you will meet often:
- Speed of light: 3.00 × 10⁸ m/s (E notation: 3.00E8)
- Avogadro constant: 6.022 × 10²³ mol⁻¹ (6.022E23)
- Mass of an electron: 9.109 × 10⁻³¹ kg (9.109E-31)
- Mass of the Earth: 5.97 × 10²⁴ kg (5.97E24)
Common mistakes
- Using the letter x for times. Write 3 × 10⁸ with the multiplication sign × (U+00D7), not x.
- Leaving 10^8 in a finished document. The caret is a typing shortcut; convert it to a superscript before you submit.
- A coefficient outside 1–10. In normalised scientific notation the first number is at least 1 and less than 10: 45 × 10³ should be 4.5 × 10⁴.
- Confusing E with e. 2E3 means 2 × 10³ = 2000, not 2 × e³.
For the maths behind it – converting numbers, multiplying and dividing in scientific notation, significant figures – read the complete guide to scientific notation.
Frequently asked questions
How do I type 10 to the power of something on a keyboard?
Type 10, then the exponent as a superscript: in Word or Google Docs use the superscript shortcut (Ctrl+Shift+= or Ctrl+.), or copy the superscript digits ⁰–⁹ from this page. In calculators and spreadsheets type it as E notation, for example 1E6 for 10⁶.
What is the keyboard shortcut for scientific notation?
There is no single key. On Windows the superscript two and three are Alt+0178 and Alt+0179, and the × sign is Alt+0215. In Word you can type any code point such as 2074 and press Alt+X to get ⁴.
How do I enter scientific notation in Excel?
Type the number in E notation, such as 6.02E23. Excel shows it as 6.02E+23; use Format Cells → Number → Scientific to change how many decimals are shown.
What does E mean on a calculator?
E (or EE, EXP) means “times ten to the power of”. 5.2E-4 is 5.2 × 10⁻⁴ = 0.00052.
Scientific keyboard on every device
- Scientific keyboard for PC
- Scientific keyboard for Windows
- Scientific keyboard for Android
- Scientific keyboard for iPhone & iPad
- Scientific keyboard symbols reference
- Symbol library: copy any math, Greek or science symbol