Scientific Notation

Scientific (standard) notation is a methode for describing very large and very small numbers through the use of powers of ten, which requires that the decimal point appear directly after the first digit greater than or equal to 1 but less than 10.

Scientific notation makes use of powers of ten, with restrictions on the mantissa (multiplier) or scale factor (power of ten). 

Example:
a. Within scientific notation, use the floating-point format
1/3         = 3.33333333333E-1
1/16       = 6.25E-2
2300/2 = 1.15E3

b. Within scientific notation, use the fixed-point format and set at the hundredths-point accuracy
1/3         = 3.33E-1
1/16       = 6.25E-2
2300/2 = 1.15E3