Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!newstop!exodus!red-dwarf!pallas
From: pallas@eng.sun.com (Joseph Pallas)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Re: how to format -1.23e-4 ?
Message-ID: <pallas.677182328@red-dwarf>
Date: 17 Jun 91 18:12:08 GMT
References: <1991Jun17.074816.9332@neon.Stanford.EDU>
Sender: news@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM
Lines: 21

In <1991Jun17.074816.9332@neon.Stanford.EDU> golding@neon.Stanford.EDU
(Andy Golding) writes:


>I was wondering what is the preferred way of formatting
>numbers in exponential notation, e.g.,

>	-1.23e-4

>Perhaps my mistake is trying to use exponential notation
>in the first place... but I don't see how else to print
>tiny numbers.  Any suggestions?

I believe the correct way to typeset this notation in TeX is 
$-1.23 \times 10^{-4}$.

This is, admittedly, cumbersome to type, and you may want to use a
macro to simplify its entry.  But the resulting appearance is exactly
right.

joe