Scientific Calculator
- Updated
- Formula shown
- Free, no sign-up
Type freely or use the keys. Enter gives the answer; Esc clears.
Result: 0
Results
Result 0
History
Calculations appear here when you press =. Select one to use it again.
How to use the scientific calculator
- Choose Degrees or Radians for angles before using sin, cos or tan.
- Type into the expression box or tap the keys. Function keys open a bracket for you, for example
sin(; the calculator closes any brackets you leave open. - The preview updates as you type. Press = or Enter to keep the answer: it is stored as Ans and added to the history.
- After =, pressing an operator carries on from the answer (
Ans×2), while a digit starts a new calculation. - Select an entry in the history to load that expression again. M+, M−, MR and MC work the same as on a handheld calculator.
Order of operations used by the calculator
2. Factorial, percent and squares: x!, x%, x²
3. Powers, from right to left: xʸ
4. Negative signs: −x
5. Multiplication and division (including implied ×), left to right
6. Addition and subtraction, left to right
The expression is read by a parser that follows these standard precedence rules, rather than by evaluating code. Two choices are worth knowing. A minus sign in front of a power applies after the power, so −2² is −4: write (−2)² if you mean the square of −2. And a multiplication you leave out, as in 2π or 3(4 + 1), ranks the same as × and ÷, so it is worked out left to right.
Trigonometry uses the unit you choose. Exact angles give exact answers: sin 30° is 0.5 and cos 90° is 0, not a tiny rounding error. tan 90° has no value, and the calculator says so. EXP enters a power of ten, so 6.02 EXP 23 means 6.02 × 10²³.
Worked example: the height of a tree
You stand 20 m from a tree and measure the angle up to its top as 35°. In degree mode, type 20tan(35). The calculator gives
14.0042 m, the height above your eye. Add your eye height with Ans+1.6 to get about
15.6 m. To check, tan⁻¹(14.0042÷20) takes you back to 35°.
Precedence examples
| Expression | Result | Why |
|---|---|---|
−2² | −4 | The power is done first, then the minus sign |
(−2)² | 4 | Brackets make the minus part of the base |
2^3^2 | 512 | Powers stack from the right: 2⁹ |
6 ÷ 2(1 + 2) | 9 | Implicit × ranks with ÷, left to right |
2π | 6.283185307 | A number before a constant multiplies |
200 + 10% | 220 | 10% of 200 is added |
5! | 120 | 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 |
2.5E3 | 2,500 | EXP: 2.5 × 10³ |
Trig values of common angles
| Angle | Radians | sin | cos | tan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0° | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 30° | 0.5235987756 | 0.5 | 0.8660254038 | 0.5773502692 |
| 45° | 0.7853981634 | 0.7071067812 | 0.7071067812 | 1 |
| 60° | 1.047197551 | 0.8660254038 | 0.5 | 1.732050808 |
| 90° | 1.570796327 | 1 | 0 | undefined |
Tips and common mistakes
- Check the angle unit first. sin(30) is 0.5 in degrees but −0.9880316241 in radians. Most school geometry uses degrees; calculus uses radians.
- log is base 10, ln is base e. log(1000) = 3 and ln(e²) = 2. For any other base, use the log calculator.
- Factorials grow fast. 170! is the largest that fits (7.257415615 × 10³⁰⁶); the big number calculator gives every digit of larger ones.
- Negative bases and fractional powers. (−8)^(1/3) = −2 because a cube root of a negative number is real, but (−8)^0.5 has no real answer.
- Answers show 12 significant digits. For control over decimal places use the rounding calculator, and for very large or small values the scientific notation calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do I switch between degrees and radians?
Use the Degrees / Radians switch above the keypad before you calculate. It changes how sin, cos and tan read their input and how sin⁻¹, cos⁻¹ and tan⁻¹ give their answer: sin(30) is 0.5 in degrees but about −0.988 in radians.
Why is −2² equal to −4?
Powers are worked out before a negative sign, so −2² means −(2²) = −4. This is the standard convention in algebra. To square negative two, use brackets: (−2)² = 4.
What does EXP do?
EXP enters “times ten to the power of”, for numbers in scientific notation. Typing 6.02 EXP 23 gives 6.02E23, which means 6.02 × 10²³. It is not the same as eˣ.
What is the difference between log and ln?
log is the common logarithm, base 10, so log(1000) = 3. ln is the natural logarithm, base e ≈ 2.71828, so ln(e²) = 2. Both need a number greater than zero.
What is Ans?
Ans holds the answer from the last time you pressed =. Use it to build on a result: after 20tan(35) = 14.004, typing Ans + 1.6 gives about 15.6. Pressing an operator straight after = inserts Ans for you.