Scientific Calculator
Type a full expression with brackets, powers and constants, or apply sin, cos, log and other functions to a number. Results appear instantly in your browser.
A scientific calculator earns its keep when a problem has more than two numbers and more than one kind of operation: a physics formula with a square root, a trigonometry exercise, a compound-growth calculation with a power. This one combines a normal keypad with function keys for trigonometry, logarithms, roots, factorials and the constants pi and e, and it works on phones as well as desktops.
Two ways to enter a calculation
The display holds an expression that you build key by key. Operators, brackets, π, e, xʸ and % are simply added to the expression, and nothing is calculated until you press ＝. At that point the whole expression is evaluated using normal order of operations: brackets first, then powers, then multiplication and division, then addition and subtraction. So 2 + 3 × 4 gives 14, which is where this calculator differs from the Basic Calculator.
The function keys sin, cos, tan, log, ln, √, |x| and n! work differently. They act immediately on the number currently shown and replace the display with the answer. For example, type 30 and press sin to get 0.5. Because these keys read the display as a single number, evaluate any longer expression with ＝ first, then press the function key. Typing 2 + 3 and pressing √ would not take the square root of 5.
What each key does
| Key | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sin, cos, tan | Trigonometric functions with the angle in degrees | 45 then tan gives 1 |
| log | Base-10 logarithm | 1000 then log gives 3 |
| ln | Natural (base e) logarithm | 1 then ln gives 0 |
| √ | Square root | 144 then √ gives 12 |
| xʸ | Raise to a power; inserts ^ in the expression | 2 ^ 10 ＝ gives 1024 |
| n! | Factorial of a whole number | 5 then n! gives 120 |
| |x| | Absolute value | −7 then |x| gives 7 |
| π, e | The constants 3.14159… and 2.71828… | 2 × π × 5 ＝ gives 31.41592654 |
| ( and ) | Group part of an expression | (2 + 3) × 4 ＝ gives 20 |
| % | Remainder (modulo) operator, not a percentage | 17 % 5 ＝ gives 2 |
| ⌫, C | Delete the last character; clear everything |
Degrees, not radians. The trigonometric keys assume the angle is in degrees. If your textbook gives an angle in radians, multiply it by 180 and divide by π first. There is no degree/radian switch on this page.
Worked examples
- Circle area with radius 5: enter
π × 5 ^ 2and press ＝ to get 78.5398163397 (rounded to ten decimal places by the calculator). - Height from an angle: a ladder leans at 60 degrees and the foot is 2 m from the wall. The ladder reaches 2 × tan 60. Type
60, press tan to get about 1.7320508076, then press ×, 2, ＝ for roughly 3.46 m. - Compound growth: 10,000 growing at 6 percent for 10 years is
10000 × 1.06 ^ 10 ＝, about 17,908.48. - Decibels or pH style problems: use log after reducing the quantity to a single number.
Things to watch for
- Write multiplication explicitly. Typing
2πdoes not mean 2 times pi: the digits are joined and read as the single number 23.14159…, with no warning. Typing3(4+1)without the × sign gives an Error. Enter2 × πand3 × (4 + 1). - Match your brackets. A missing closing bracket shows Error and clears the expression.
- Factorials need whole numbers. The n! key multiplies 1 × 2 × … × n, so decimals and negatives give meaningless results. Very large factorials exceed what a standard number can hold, and 171! and above show as infinite.
- Floating-point noise. Results are rounded to ten decimal places, so sin 30 appears as 0.5 rather than 0.49999999999999994, but extremely small differences cannot be shown.
- The letter e inside expressions. Any e is read as Euler's number. Do not type numbers in exponent form like 2e5; write 200000.
Who this is for
School and college students checking algebra, trigonometry and logarithm homework, engineers and builders making quick formula checks away from a desk, and anyone who needs a power or a root and does not want to open a spreadsheet. For statistics, matrices, equation solving or graphing it is not a replacement for a full graphing calculator or a computer algebra system, and for exams you should always follow your institution's rules on permitted devices.
Order of operations in practice
Because the whole expression is evaluated together, you can check how precedence works. In 2 + 3 × 4 ^ 2 the power is done first (4 squared is 16), then the multiplication (3 × 16 is 48), then the addition, giving 50. Brackets override that order: (2 + 3) × 4 ^ 2 equals 80. When a formula has a fraction line, put the top and bottom in brackets, for example (5 + 7) ÷ (2 + 4) gives 2. Forgetting the brackets around a denominator is the most common cause of wrong answers.
Privacy
Expressions are evaluated by JavaScript in your browser tab. Nothing you type is sent to a server or saved after you leave the page.
Frequently asked questions
Why is sin 90 shown as 1 and not 0.893?
The calculator expects degrees. The value 0.893 is sin of 90 radians. For degrees the answer is exactly 1.
Can I calculate a percentage with the % key?
No. Here % means remainder. To find a percentage, multiply by the decimal, for example 240 × 0.15, or use the Percentage Calculator.
How do I do a cube root?
Raise to the power one third: 27 ^ (1 / 3) ＝ gives 3.
Why does the display say Error?
The expression was incomplete or invalid, such as an unmatched bracket or two operators in a row. Press C and re-enter it.