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CalcChef

Scientific Calculator

Keypad or keyboard calculator with brackets, sin, cos, tan and their inverses in degrees or radians, log, ln, √, x^y, 10ˣ, memory and Ans, in the usual order. How it works

Use the Scientific Calculator

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About the Scientific Calculator

2 + 3² on this scientific calculator is 2, +, 3, x², = and gives 11. The keypad has sin, cos and tan in radians or degrees, log (base 10), ln, √, x², x^y, 10ˣ, 1/x, |x|, ±, π and e, brackets, and + − × ÷. Brackets are worked first, then powers, then × and ÷, then + and −, so 1 + 2 x^y 3 gives 9 and (2 + 3) × 4 gives 20. A function key acts at once on the number shown. 2nd gives sin⁻¹, cos⁻¹ and tan⁻¹, Ans recalls the last answer, MS, MR, M+ and MC keep one number, and the keyboard works as well as the keys.

How to use this tool

  1. Press RAD to switch sin, cos and tan to degrees; the key then reads DEG. Radians is the setting when the page opens.
  2. Type a number, then press a function key such as sin, log or x². The result replaces the number on the display.
  3. Put + − × ÷ between numbers and press = for the answer. AC clears everything and the arrow key deletes the last digit typed.
  4. Use ( and ) to group part of the sum. Press = and any bracket still open is closed for you.
  5. For an angle from a ratio, press 2nd and then sin⁻¹, cos⁻¹ or tan⁻¹: in DEG, 0.5 then 2nd, sin⁻¹ gives 30, and in RAD the answer is in radians.

Frequently asked questions

Why does sin 30 give 0.49999999999999994 and not 0.5?
In DEG mode the 30 is multiplied by π ÷ 180, and π cannot be stored exactly in binary, so the angle is a hair off π/6. The error shows in the 17th digit. For the same reason tan 45 shows 0.9999999999999999 and cos 90 shows 6.123233995736766e-17 instead of 0.
How do I enter a negative number?
Type the number and press ±: 5 then ± shows -5. You can then use a function key on it, so x² gives 25, while √ shows Error. Raised with x^y, a negative number is bracketed, so -2 x^y 2 gives 4.
Does it follow the order of operations?
Yes: brackets first, then x^y, then × and ÷, then + and −, so 2 + 3 × 4 gives 14 and 1 + 2 x^y 3 gives 9. Press (, 2, +, 3, ), ×, 4 and = for 20; brackets can be nested, so 2 × (3 + (4 − 1)) gives 12, and (1 + 2) x^y 2 gives 9. A number typed straight after ) multiplies the bracket, so (2 + 3)4 also gives 20, and = closes brackets left open, so (2 + 3 = gives 5.
Is log base 10 or natural log?
log is base 10 and ln is the natural logarithm: log of 1000 is 3, ln of e is 1, and log of 2 is 0.3010299956639812. The log or ln of 0 or a negative number shows Error.
How do I work out a power like 2^10?
Press 2, x^y, 10 and =: the answer is 1024. For a power of ten, type the exponent and press 10ˣ, so 3 then 10ˣ gives 1000. x² squares the number on the display at once.
Can I type on the keyboard?
Yes. Digits and the decimal point, + and -, * or x for ×, / for ÷, ^ for x^y, ( and ), Enter or = for the answer, Backspace to delete a digit and Escape for AC. Letters type a function name: sin, cos, tan, log, ln, sqrt, abs, asin, acos, atan, pi, e and ans. Keys pressed while a text box or the site search has focus are left to it.

What the keypad does

Function keys act at once on the number on the display, so 2 + 3² is 2, +, 3, x², = and gives 11. sin, cos and tan work in radians until you press RAD, which switches the key to DEG.

x^y sits between two numbers like + or ×: 2, x^y, 10, = gives 1024.

The ( and ) keys group part of a sum: (, 2, +, 3, ), ×, 4, = gives 20, and = closes any bracket left open.

2nd turns the next sin, cos or tan into its inverse, in the same angle mode: in DEG, 0.5, 2nd, sin⁻¹ gives 30. Ans recalls the last answer, and MS, MR, M+ and MC hold one number while the page is open. On a keyboard, type digits, + - * / ^, brackets, Enter, Backspace and Escape, or names such as sin, sqrt and pi.

Precedence, angle mode and precision

= evaluates with the usual precedence: brackets first, then x^y, then × and ÷, then + and −, so 2 + 3 × 4 gives 14 and (1 + 2) x^y 2 gives 9. A chain of powers is worked from the right (2 x^y 3 x^y 2 gives 512) and a negative number raised with x^y is bracketed first (-2 x^y 2 gives 4). In DEG mode the angle is multiplied by π ÷ 180 before Math.sin, Math.cos or Math.tan runs. log is Math.log10, ln is Math.log and 1/x is 1 ÷ x.

Numbers are IEEE 754 doubles, about 15 to 17 significant digits, shown unrounded: 0.1 + 0.2 gives 0.30000000000000004, and sin 30 in DEG gives 0.49999999999999994. The square root of a negative number, a negative base with a fractional exponent (-8 x^y 0.5) and the log or ln of zero or less show Error, and sin⁻¹ or cos⁻¹ of a number outside −1 to 1 shows "Input must be -1 to 1"; division by zero shows "Cannot divide by zero" and an overflow "Result too large".

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