2E4

2E4 is a numeric shorthand in scientific notation representing 2 × 10^4, which equals 20,000. The letter E (or e) denotes the exponent base 10, and the part before it is the significand or mantissa. This notation is widely used in mathematics, science, engineering, and computing to express large or small numbers compactly.

In computing and data representations, 2e4 is typically read as a floating-point literal rather than an integer. Many programming languages, including Python, Java, C, C++, and JavaScript, interpret 2e4 as the floating-point value 20000.0. The same applies to 2E4. Exponents may be written with or without a plus or minus sign, and in many contexts leading zeros in the exponent are allowed or ignored, but behavior can vary by language or tool.

Common uses include quick calculations, data input, and file formats that require compact numeric notation. It is also standard in scientific documentation and spreadsheets for representing large numbers without writing out all digits.

Limitations to note include potential floating-point precision and rounding issues when performing arithmetic. While 2e4 equals 20000 exactly in decimal form, floating-point representations can introduce small errors in some computations. For exact integers, other representations or integer literals should be used when precision is critical.

Overall, 2E4 is a widely understood way to denote twenty thousand in scientific notation, found across programming, computing, and scientific literature.