IScientificNumberFormat Interface

Provides access to members that format scientific numbers.

Description

The members in the IScientificNumberFormatinterface define how the ValueToString method in the associated INumberFormat****interface formats numbers.

ScientificFormatexpresses numbers as a power of 10. For example, the value 1500scientifically formatted to 3 significant digits is the expression 1.50e+003, where the number after 'e' is the power of 10. The meaning of this expression is 1.50 X 10^3. The number of digits in the power of 10 expression (+003) cannot be changed and is always a plus or minus sign and 3 digits.

All digits in a scientific format expression are significant. Set the DecimalPlacesproperty to the number of desired significant digits minus 1. For example, to express the value 1to 3 significant digits (1.00e+000), set DecimalPlacesto 2.

When To Use

Use this interface when you want to express numbers in a scientific format, for example, to create a table of empirical values.

Members

Name Description
Read/write property DecimalPlaces The number of decimal digits in a scientifically-formatted number.

IScientificNumberFormat.DecimalPlaces Property

The number of decimal digits in a scientifically-formatted number.

Public Property DecimalPlaces As Integer
public int DecimalPlaces {get; set;}

Description

The DecimalPlaces property sets or returns a long representing the number of decimals to show in the mantissa. Since all digits in a scientific format expression are significant, set the DecimalPlaces property to the number of desired significant digits minus 1. For example, to express the value 1 to 3 significant digits (1.00e+000), set DecimalPlaces to 2. The default value is 6.

Classes that implement IScientificNumberFormat

Classes Description
ScientificFormat An object for formatting numbers in a scientific format.

Remarks

The power behind the scientific format is a way of expressing significant zeros. For example, a 1000 yard distance measured with a bicycle odometer may only be accurate to the nearest 10th mile (176 yards). In this case, 1000 is only significant to one place and should be expressed as 1 X 10^3. On the other hand, you may know the measurement is precise to the last zero (perhaps you carefully measured this distance with a yardstick); you would then want to express the measurement as 1.000 X 10^3.

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