Commodore VIC-20 User Manual page 76

62
The VIC 20 User Guide
A number in scientific notation has the following form:
numberE+ee
where
number is an integer, fraction, or combination, as illustrated above. The
"number" portion contains the number's significant digits; it is
called the "coefficient." If no decimal point appears, it is assumed
to be to the right of the coefficient.
E is always the letter E. It substitutes for the word "exponent."
+ is an optional plus sign or minus sign.
ee is a one-digit or two-digit exponent. The exponent specifies the
magnitude of the number: the number of places to the right
(positive exponent) or to the left (negative exponent) that the
decimal point must be moved to give the true decimal point
location.
Here are some examples.
Scientific Notation
2EI
1O.5E+4
66E+2
66E-2
-66E-2
IE-IO
94E20
Standard Notation
20
105000
6600
0.66
-0.66
0.000000000 I
9400000000000000000000
Scientific notation is a convenient way of expressing very large or very
small numbers. VIC BASIC prints numbers ranging between 0.01 and
999,999,999 using standard notation, but numbers outside of this range are
printed using scientific notation. Here are some examples.
?009
9E-03
REFlDY.
1.01
.01
READY.
1999999999.9
999999999
READ' r I.
1999999999.6
1E+09