Engineering Notation

2.7. Engineering Notation#

Learning Objectives#

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

  • Recognize values written in engineering notation

  • Convert a value from standard or scientific notation into engineering notation

  • Convert a value from engineering notation into scientific notation

Engineering Notation Format#

Besides scientific notation, there is another type of notation that is useful for engineers called engineering notation.

Engineering notation is a way of clearly and easily communicating a value or parameter to another engineer, a supervisor or a client. It is designed to be able to viewed quickly and to increase clarity on drawings and figures.

Engineering notation follows the following format:

  • Like scientific notation, engineering notation is of the form \(m \times 10^{n}\)

  • In engineering notation, the exponent \(n\) is restricted to multiples of 3 (e.g. …-9, -6, -3, 0, 3, 6, 9…)

  • The significand \(m\) is restricted such that \(1 \leq m < 1000\)

  • Engineering notation allows for use of the SI Prefixes when working with SI units

Examples#

Below are a few examples of engineering notation.

\(6.022 \times 10^{23}\) watts

\(602.2 \times 10^{21}\) watts

\(602.2\) zetta-watts = \(602.2\) ZW

\(2.040 \times 10^4\) meters

\(20.40 \times 10^3\) meters

\(20.40\) kilometers = \(20.40\) km

\(9.000 \times 10^{−6}\) grams

\(9.000 \times 10^{−6}\) grams (stays the same as 6 is already a multiple of 3)

\(9.000\) micrograms = \(9.000 \ \mu g\)

Section Summary#

Engineering notation is a type of notation where measured or calculated values is of the form

\(m \times 10^{n}\)

where \(1 \leq m < 1000\) and \(n\) is a multiple of 3. Engineering notation is useful for showing measurement and speficications on plans and designs. Values can be converted between engineering notation, scientific notation and standard notation.

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