[maxlybbert]

When they’re aligned vertically, say as part of a table, then leaving the zeros in makes it much easier to read.

[cryptoplot]

Not sure.

Check http://cryptomarketplot.com/accessible-index.html : the numbers are also aligned, and in less space that it would take if 5.744e-5 was to have all its leading zeroes.

[maxlybbert]

Within each section, right now, the exponents remain the same. I’ll concede that when that’s true, the choice of notation is irrelevant.

However, occasionally, prices will straddle a boundary between 1.9eX and 9.0eY with |X - Y| = 1. In those cases, the different exponents will be easier to miss than the different number of digits or different number of leading 0s.

[cryptoplot]

I would argue that in this case, the big change from 1.9 to 9.0 would catch your attention even more than the change in exponent.

But by the same login, I agree with you: .9eX and 9.0eY with |X - Y| = 1 may cause too much focus on what is a small difference.

Some hard choices were made. It is not perfect.