A number (n) expressed in scientific notation would written as the product of two factors, as shown below:

n = a x 10^b

"a" is called the mantissa and is usually a terminating decimal.

1 ≤ |a| < 10 (the magnitude of "a" must be greater than or equal to one and less than ten).

10^b is a power, with a base of 10 and an exponent of "b".

"b" is an integer corresponding to the number of places the decimal "moves".

When the exponent "b" is positive (and not zero), the number "n" is greater than one.

The larger the exponent "b", the larger the number "n".

When the exponent "b" is negative, the number "n" is between zero and one.

The smaller the exponent "b", the closer the number "n" is to zero.

Although any terminating decimal can be expressed in scientific notation, it is usually used for numbers that are extremely large (far from zero) or extremely small (close to zero).

327 000 000 = 3.27 x 10⁸

Standard Notation: 327 000 000

Scientific Notation: 3.27 x 10⁸

The animation below illustrates how to convert 327 000 000 from standard notation to scientific notation.

The animation below illustrates how to convert 3.27 x 10⁸ from scientific notation to standard notation.

0.000 000 032 7 = 3.27 x 10^-8

Standard Notation: 0.000 000 032 7

Scientific Notation: 3.27 x 10^-8

The animation below illustrates how to convert 0.000 000 032 7 from standard notation to scientific notation.

The animation below illustrates how to convert 3.27 x 10^-8 from scientific notation to standard notation.