A
method of writing
approximate forms of
large numbers in which the
magnitude is separated out of the number and expressed as a
power of
ten. For instance,
6.02 x 1023 is a short way of writing 602000000000000000000000.
Computers and some calculators often use a shorthand "e notation" for writing numbers in exponential notation in which the times sign and the 10 are replaced by a letter e (sometimes capitalized), so 6.02E23 for the number above. This is used in contexts where the superscript for the exponent cannot be produced.