0.002 in Scientific Notation

0.002 in scientific notation

0.002 = 2 \times 10^{-3}

0.002 in scientific notation is 2 × 10⁻³ – the decimal point moves 3 places to the right, so the power of ten is −3.

  • E-notation: 2E-3 (calculators, Excel, programming)
  • Engineering notation: 2 × 10⁻³ (the power is a multiple of 3)
  • Said aloud: two times ten to the power of negative three
  • Significant figures: 1
  • Order of magnitude: \displaystyle 10^{-3}
  • As a fraction: 1/500

Step-by-step solution

The problem

\text{Write } 0.002 \text{ in scientific notation}
1

Find the coefficient

a = 2

Scientific notation is \displaystyle a \times 10^{n} with \displaystyle 1 \le a < 10. Put the decimal point just after the first non-zero digit (2).

2

Count the places the decimal point moves

  1. 0.002
  2. 0.02
  3. 0.2
  4. 2

From \displaystyle 0.002 to \displaystyle 2 the decimal point moves 3 places to the right.

3

Choose the sign of the exponent

n = -3

The number is less than 1, so the point moved right and the exponent is negative: each place right multiplies by 10, and \displaystyle 10^{-3} divides it back.

4

Write it in scientific notation

0.002 = \textcolor{#0b5c56}{2 \times 10^{-3}}

Check

2 \times 10^{-3} = 2 \div 1000 = 0.002 \;\checkmark

Multiply the coefficient by the power of ten (a negative power divides) to get back the number.

The digits 2 at other powers of ten

Only the power changes when the decimal point moves – each place right is one more step of ten.

NumberScientific notationE-notation
0.22 × 10⁻¹2E-1
0.022 × 10⁻²2E-2
0.0022 × 10⁻³2E-3
0.00022 × 10⁻⁴2E-4
0.000022 × 10⁻⁵2E-5
0.0000022 × 10⁻⁶2E-6
0.00000022 × 10⁻⁷2E-7
0.000000022 × 10⁻⁸2E-8
0.0000000022 × 10⁻⁹2E-9

Other numbers × 10⁻³

Try different values

Frequently asked questions

Is 20 × 10⁻⁴ the same as 2 × 10⁻³?

It has the same value, but it isn’t scientific notation: the number in front must be at least 1 and less than 10, and 20 is not. Move the point one more place and add 1 to the power: 2 × 10⁻³.

Any other number – or multiplying, dividing, adding and subtracting in scientific notation – use the Scientific Notation Calculator.