Is the 1e-21 notation ever used in handwriting? I have never seen it but I'm curious. It was not used in my schooling.
I've not seen it used in handwriting I think it's mostly used for digital inputs (including some calculators). The most common usage in handwriting I've seen is like 1.5×10³² (=1.5e32).
Exactly, what surprised me is that in school this syntax was never taught or explained. Oversight on their part.
Highschool: "They'll teach this in collge"
College: "They definitely learned this in highschool"