If there is no decimal point in the number
Ex. 205852
1. Place a decimal point at the end of the number
2. Move the decimal point to the right of the first digit.
3. Count how many "hops" it takes to move to the right of the first digit. That is your exponent.
4. Because you moved the decimal to the left, the exponent will be positive
If there is a decimal point in the number and the first digit is 0
Ex. 0.00008035
1. Move the decimal point to the right of the first non-zero digit.
3. Count how many "hops" it takes to move to the right of the first non-zero digit. That is your exponent.
4. Because you moved the decimal to the right, the exponent will be negative.
5. Remove any zeros to the left of the first non-zero digit.