title: How can i specify the format for xticks/xlabel on a plot
body: <p>when setting up a plot for matplotlib, i run into very large numbers. </p>
  
  <p>in one plot, these get converted into the scientific format, which i like, 
  in another one they don't get converted. How can i specify this behaviour?</p>
  
  <p>example where it works as i like it:
  <img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZjQDD.png" alt="enter image description here"></p>
  
  <p>example where it does not work as i want it:
  <img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/5lLS7.png" alt="enter image description here"></p>
  
  <p>i am using matplotlib version 0.99.1.1. </p>