While it is not always true, most numbers needing to be written in British standard form are either very large or very small. The number should also already be in numerical value.


Note that this form is only referred to as "standard form" by speakers of British English. In the United States, this numerical form is usually referred to as "scientific notation."
The overall purpose of this numerical form is to change very large or very small numbers into an abbreviated, easy-to-write format. You can technically change any number with more than one digit into British standard form regardless of its size, however.

Example A: Write the following value in standard form: 8230000000000

Example B: Write the following value in standard form: 0.0000000000000046

, Shift the decimal point to the right or left, as needed, until it lies directly after the very first digit of the overall number.


Make sure that you pay attention to the original position of the decimal point as you do this. You will need to know that information for the next step.

Example A: 8230000000000 => 8.23

Even though there was no visible decimal point at the end of the original number, there is an implied decimal point at the end of every whole number.



Example B: 0.0000000000000046 => 4.6

, Look at both versions of the number and count the number of spaces you shifted the decimal point over. This number will become the index of your final answer.


The “index” is an exponent tagged onto the multiplier of your final answer.
When you shift the decimal point to the left, the index will be positive. When you shift the decimal point to the right, the index will be negative.

Example A: The decimal was shifted 12 places to the left, so your index will be 12.

Example B: The decimal was shifted 15 places to the right, so your index will be -15.
 Include both the altered form and indexed multiplier when writing the final answer in standard form.


The multiplier will always be 10 for numbers written in British standard form or scientific notation. The index you calculated will always be placed to the right of the 10 in your final answer.

Example A: The standard form of the original value is: 8.23 * 1012


Example B: The standard form of the original value is: 4.6 * 10-15
Look at the number.
Move the decimal point.
Count the spaces.
Write your final answer.
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