The scientific notation means that you enter a number as a number multiplied by ten in effect. Scientists and engineers often work with very large or very small numbers, which are more easily expressed by exponential or scientific notation. A classic chemical example of a number written in a scientific record is Avogadro's number (6.022 x 1023). Scientists usually perform calculations using the speed of light (3.0 x 108 m / s). An example of a very small number is the electric charge of one electron (1,602 x 10-19 Coulombs).