scientific notation

Definition: scientific notation: A compact format for writing very large or very small numbers, most often used in scientific fields. The notation separates a number into two parts: a decimal fraction, usually between 1 and 10, and a power of ten. Thus 1.23 x 10⁴ means 1.23 times 10 to the fourth power or 12,300; 5.67 x 10^-8 means 5.67 divided by 10 to the eighth power or 0.0000000567.