20000 in Scientific Notation

20000 in scientific notation

20{,}000 = 2 \times 10^{4}

20000 in scientific notation is 2 × 10⁴ – the decimal point moves 4 places to the left, so the power of ten is 4.

  • E-notation: 2E+4 (calculators, Excel, programming)
  • Engineering notation: 20 × 10³ (the power is a multiple of 3)
  • Said aloud: two times ten to the power of four
  • Significant figures: 1 to 5 (the zeros at the end may or may not count)
  • Order of magnitude: \displaystyle 10^{4}
  • In words: twenty thousand

Step-by-step solution

The problem

\text{Write } 20{,}000 \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); the zeros at the end only hold places, so they are left out.

2

Count the places the decimal point moves

  1. 20,000
  2. 2000
  3. 200
  4. 20
  5. 2

From \displaystyle 20{,}000 to \displaystyle 2 the decimal point moves 4 places to the left.

3

Choose the sign of the exponent

n = 4

The number is 10 or more, so the point moved left and the exponent is positive: each place left divides by 10, and \displaystyle 10^{4} multiplies it back.

4

Write it in scientific notation

20{,}000 = \textcolor{#0b5c56}{2 \times 10^{4}}

Check

2 \times 10^{4} = 2 \times 10{,}000 = 20{,}000 \;\checkmark

Multiply the coefficient by the power of ten to get back the number.

The digits 2 at other powers of ten

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

NumberScientific notationE-notation
2,0002 × 10³2E3
20,0002 × 10⁴2E4
200,0002 × 10⁵2E5
2,000,0002 × 10⁶2E6
20,000,0002 × 10⁷2E7
200,000,0002 × 10⁸2E8
2,000,000,0002 × 10⁹2E9

Other numbers × 10⁴

Try different values

Frequently asked questions

Is 20 × 10³ the same as 2 × 10⁴?

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 × 10⁴.

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