Scientific Calculator

How to use the scientific calculator

Tap the keys or type on your keyboard, then press = or Enter. While you type, the answer previews in grey under your expression, so you can spot a typo before you commit. Each result is saved to the history panel, where you can select it to put that calculation back on the display, and the Ans key inserts your previous answer into the next calculation.

Keyboard key	What it does
0–9 and .	Type numbers
+ - * /	Add, subtract, multiply, divide
^	Power, so 2^10 = 1024
( )	Brackets
! and %	Factorial and percent
Enter or =	Calculate
Backspace	Delete the last character or function
Esc	Clear everything

Function names can be typed too: sin, cos, tan, asin, ln, log, sqrt, pi, e and Ans all work. If you start with an operator straight after a result, the calculator continues from Ans, so pressing × 2 after getting 12 calculates 12 × 2.

Order of operations on a scientific calculator

The calculator applies the standard order of operations, often taught as PEMDAS in the US or BODMAS in India and the UK:

1. Brackets first, innermost out.
2. Powers and roots, worked from right to left.
3. Multiplication and division, from left to right.
4. Addition and subtraction, from left to right.

You type	Answer	Why
2 + 3 × 4	14	Multiplication before addition
(2 + 3) × 4	20	Brackets first
2^3^2	512	Powers stack right to left: 2^9
−2^2	−4	The power applies before the minus sign
(−2)^2	4	Brackets make the minus part of the base
6 ÷ 2(1 + 2)	9	Implied multiplication is ordinary multiplication

You can leave out the × sign between a number and a bracket, a constant or a function. 2π means 2 × π (6.28318530718) and 3(4) means 12. Missing closing brackets at the end of an expression are added for you, so sin(30 is read as sin(30).

Degrees vs radians

Trig functions need to know the unit of the angle. In DEG mode, sin(30) = 0.5, cos(60) = 0.5 and tan(45) = 1, the values you learn from a unit circle drawn in degrees. In RAD mode the same input means 30 radians, and sin(30) = −0.988031624093. A full turn is 360° or 2π radians, so to convert, multiply degrees by π/180: 30° is 0.523598775598 radians.

Getting the mode wrong is the most common reason for a “wrong” answer in homework. sin(π/6) gives 0.5 in radian mode, but 0.00913839539718 in degree mode, because the calculator reads π/6 as about half a degree. Inverse functions follow the mode as well: sin⁻¹(0.5) returns 30 in degrees.

Some values are undefined. tan(90°) has no value because cos(90°) is zero, so the calculator shows an error rather than a huge meaningless number.

Scientific notation and the EXP key

Very large and very small numbers are written as a number between 1 and 10 times a power of ten. The EXP key enters the “× 10 to the power” part in one go, shown as E: 3E8 means 3 × 10⁸, roughly the speed of light in meters per second. Multiply it by 60 and you get 18000000000, or 1.8 × 10¹⁰ meters per minute.

Results smaller than 0.000001 or larger than a quadrillion (10¹⁵) are shown in E notation automatically, such as 1.204E24 for 6.02E23 × 2. You can copy a result in this form and paste it back in. To write 0.000123 in scientific notation, move the decimal point four places right to get 1.23E−4.

Function reference

Key	Meaning	Example
x²	Square	12² = 144
xʸ	Power	2^10 = 1024
√ and ∛	Square and cube root	√(144) = 12, ∛(27) = 3
1/x	Reciprocal	4⁻¹ = 0.25
n!	Factorial	5! = 120
|x|	Absolute value	abs(−7) = 7
log	Base-10 logarithm	log(1000) = 3
ln	Natural logarithm (base e)	ln(e) = 1
eˣ and 10ˣ	Exponentials	e^(1) = 2.71828182846, 10^(3) = 1000
sinh, cosh, tanh	Hyperbolic functions	sinh(1) = 1.17520119364

Answers are rounded to 12 significant digits for display, which hides tiny floating-point errors: 0.1 + 0.2 shows 0.3, not 0.30000000000000004.

Scientific calculator vs graphing calculator

A scientific calculator evaluates one expression at a time. A graphing calculator such as a TI-84 also plots functions, solves equations numerically and runs statistics and programs. For most algebra, trigonometry, chemistry and physics problems a scientific calculator is all you need, and many exams that ban graphing models allow scientific ones. Engineering students often pair one with dedicated tools, such as a quadratic formula calculator for roots or a standard deviation calculator for data.

Error messages and how to fix them

• Divide by zero: 1 ÷ 0 has no value. Check the denominator.
• Square root of a negative number: √(−4) is not a real number. ∛(−8) = −2 works fine.
• log or ln of zero or a negative number: logarithms only exist for positive inputs.
• Factorial needs a whole number: 3.5! is rejected, and anything above 170! overflows.
• Something is missing: an expression ending in an operator, such as 2 +, needs another number.

For quick percentage jobs, the percentage calculator explains each step in words, and the fraction calculator keeps answers as exact fractions instead of decimals.