Engineering Notation
Engineering notation is a scientific notation variant that aligns with powers of 1,000. It is used to express numbers with exponents divisible by three, matching common metric prefixes (e.g., "531×103" instead of "5.31×105"). SI prefixes can be utilized as an alternative to writing powers of 10, typically providing factors of 1,000.
History
The concept of engineering notation emerged in 1969 with the HP 5360A frequency counter, which introduced SI prefixes. Hewlett-Packard's HP-25 calculator became the first to support engineering notation in 1975, displaying power-of-ten exponents. Commodore and Texas Instruments later implemented exponent shift facilities on their calculators, serving as precursors to Casio's introduction of a single-button engineering notation display mode in 1978/1979.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Compared to scientific notation, advantages of engineering notation include: explicit matching with SI prefixes, facilitating reading and communication; and simplified uncertainty representation in certain cases. Disadvantages include potential difficulty in determining significant figures when using SI prefixes and the limitation of the coefficient range to 1–1,000.
Binary Engineering Notation
Binary engineering notation aligns with powers of 1,024, relating to base-1024 scientific notation. It is closely associated with base-2 floating-point representation and the use of IEC binary prefixes, e.g., "1B10" for 1 × 210.
Applications
Engineering notation finds applications in various fields:
- Physics: Expressing physical constants (e.g., "299,792,458 m/s" for the speed of light using a 1,000-factor metric prefix)
- Engineering: Describing quantities with large or small magnitudes (e.g., "12.5 nm" for 12.5×10−9 m)
- Computer Science: Representing binary values and memory capacities (e.g., "1 MB" for 1 × 220 bytes)