# Extract exponent from numbers in julia
**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/extract-exponent-from-numbers-in-julia/30810
**Category:** New to Julia
**Created:** [November 6, 2019, 10:35pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/extract-exponent-from-numbers-in-julia/30810 "2019-11-06T22:35:06Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Luigi\_Marongiu](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Luigi_Marongiu)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2019, 10:35pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/extract-exponent-from-numbers-in-julia/30810/1 "2019-11-06T22:35:06Z")
Hello,
I have to compare numbers that are quite small – something like 10e-5 or 10e-13 etc. Is there a way to extract the exponent (or characteristic) of the numbers, so that I will be working with -5 and -13 only? (thus passing from a float64 to a more friendly number)
Is it possible to extract such characteristic from a normal number? or instance, 2 should give 0 (as in 2x10e0).
I would I convert a number into scientific? thus 2 into 2e0?
Thank you
---
### Author:  [@ffevotte](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ffevotte)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2019, 10:40pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/extract-exponent-from-numbers-in-julia/30810/2 "2019-11-06T22:40:07Z")
Couldn’t you simply take the `log10` of your numbers? (possibly rounding it)
```julia
julia> round(log10(1.45e-4), digits=2)
-3.84
julia> floor(log10(1.45e-4))
-4.0
```
---
### Author:  [@Luigi\_Marongiu](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Luigi_Marongiu)
#### Post date: [November 7, 2019, 8:15am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/extract-exponent-from-numbers-in-julia/30810/3 "2019-11-07T08:15:30Z")
Yes I could and I will. Thank you!