Scientific Calculator

Full-featured scientific calculator with trigonometry, logarithms, powers, and constants.

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Scientific Calculator
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How to use Scientific Calculator

A scientific calculator goes beyond basic arithmetic to handle the mathematical operations needed in science, engineering, and advanced academics — trigonometric functions, logarithms, powers, roots, factorials, and physical constants. Basic operations: Enter numbers and operators as you would write them. The display shows your expression as you type so you can verify it before calculating. Use parentheses to control order of operations. Trigonometric functions: sin, cos, tan — standard trigonometric ratios. asin, acos, atan — inverse trigonometric functions (returns angle from ratio). sinh, cosh, tanh — hyperbolic functions used in calculus and physics. Degree/Radian mode: Toggle between DEG and RAD before entering trig functions. Sin(90) in degrees equals 1. Sin(90) in radians equals 0.894. Always confirm your mode first. Logarithms and exponentials: log — base-10 logarithm. ln — natural logarithm (base e). e^x — e raised to power x. 10^x — 10 raised to power x. Powers and roots: x^y — x raised to power y. x^2 — square. sqrt — square root. cbrt — cube root. n! — factorial. Useful for permutations and combinations in statistics. Constants: pi (3.14159...) — ratio of circle circumference to diameter. e (2.71828...) — base of natural logarithm, fundamental in calculus. Memory: M+ adds to memory, MR recalls, MC clears. Useful for intermediate results in multi-step calculations.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I switch between degrees and radians?

Use the DEG/RAD toggle button. When in DEG mode, trig functions expect angles in degrees — sin(90) = 1. When in RAD mode, they expect radians — sin(pi/2) = 1. A common error is entering an angle in degrees while in RAD mode. Always check the mode display before calculating trigonometric values.

What is the difference between log and ln?

log (or log10) is the base-10 logarithm — log(100) = 2 because 10^2 = 100. ln is the natural logarithm with base e — ln(e) = 1. Log base 10 is used in pH chemistry, decibels, and Richter scale. Natural log is used in calculus, compound growth, and physics. In scientific contexts, "log" often means natural log — check which convention your field uses.

How do I calculate factorial?

Enter a non-negative integer and press n!. For example, 5! = 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 120. Factorial grows extremely fast — 20! is about 2.4 x 10^18. Values above 170 exceed JavaScript's floating point range and return Infinity. Factorial is used in permutations (arranging n items), combinations (choosing k from n), and probability calculations.

How do I enter negative numbers in trig functions?

Use parentheses: sin(-45) not sin-45. Without parentheses, the calculator may interpret the minus sign as subtraction from a prior result. When entering complex expressions, liberally use parentheses to make the intended order of operations explicit. The expression display shows exactly what will be calculated before you press equals.

Why do I sometimes get unexpected results with floating point numbers?

Computers store numbers in binary floating point, which cannot represent all decimal fractions exactly. For example, 0.1 + 0.2 may show as 0.30000000000000004 instead of 0.3. This is not a calculator error — it is an inherent property of binary floating point arithmetic shared by virtually all calculators and programming languages. For financial calculations, use the dedicated finance tools that handle decimal arithmetic correctly.

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