Scientific calculator
Type or tap an expression — the answer shows up as you go.
In what order does the calculator work out an expression?
The usual order of operations: parentheses first, then powers, then multiplication and division, then addition and subtraction, left to right. So 2 + 3 × 4 = 14, while (2 + 3) × 4 = 20. Powers stack from the right: 2^3^2 is 2^9 = 512, and −2^2 = −4 because the power comes before the minus.
Should I use degrees or radians?
Degrees for everyday angles — roof pitches, ramps, triangles in class: sin(30) = 0.5 in degrees. Radians for calculus and physics, where a full turn is 2π: cos(π) = −1 in radians. The DEG/RAD key switches between them, and the calculator remembers your choice.
How do I enter exponents and scientific notation?
Use xʸ for a power: 2^10 = 1,024; x² squares the number before it. For scientific notation, use EXP: 1.5 EXP 3 means 1.5 × 10³ = 1,500, and 2.5 EXP −2 is 0.025. Very large or small answers are shown the same way, like 2.4329020082E18 for 20!.
What is the difference between log and ln?
log is the base-10 logarithm — log(1000) = 3 because 10³ = 1,000. ln is the natural logarithm, base e ≈ 2.718 — ln(e) = 1. Neither is defined for zero or negative numbers.
How does the percent key work?
It divides the number before it by 100, so 50% × 80 = 0.5 × 80 = 40. To add a percent to a price, write it out: 80 × 1.15 adds 15%. The percentage calculator handles percent changes and other percent questions step by step.
Why does cos(π) give 0.998 on my calculator?
The calculator is in degree mode, so π is read as 3.14159 degrees, and cos(3.14159°) = 0.998497149864. In radian mode cos(π) = −1. Check the DEG/RAD indicator before every trigonometric calculation.
Order of operations in detail
Parentheses are worked out first, then powers, then multiplication and division from left to right, then addition and subtraction from left to right. Powers group from the right, so 2^3^2 means 2^(3^2) and equals 512, not 64. A minus sign in front of a power applies after the power: −2^2 gives −4, while (−2)^2 gives 4. When in doubt, add parentheses; they cost nothing.
Worked examples
sin(30) is 0.5 in degree mode but −0.988031624093 in radian mode, because 30 radians is about 4.8 full turns. 5! is 120, the product 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1. The expression 1/3 shows as 0.333333333333, which is the answer rounded to 12 significant digits for the display. The calculator works with ordinary double-precision numbers, so results such as sin(30°) could otherwise appear as 0.49999999999999994, which the display rounds to 0.5.
Common mistakes
Leaving the calculator in the wrong angle mode is the number-one cause of wrong trigonometry answers. Dividing by an expression without parentheses, as in 1/2×3, gives 1.5, because division and multiplication are worked from left to right; write 1/(2×3) for one sixth. Finally, log is base 10 and ln is base e, and neither is defined for zero or negative numbers.
Sources: the order of operations as in OpenStax Prealgebra 2e (the language of algebra); trigonometric functions and radians as in OpenStax Algebra and Trigonometry; double-precision arithmetic as defined by IEEE 754. Related: percentage calculator, trigonometry calculator, log calculator and scientific notation calculator.