Scientific Calculator Online

How to Use the Scientific Calculator Online

1. Pick DEG, RAD or GRAD before any trigonometry. Degrees are the default.
2. Type in the Expression box or tap the keypad. Function keys add the opening bracket for you.
3. Press Enter or the equals key. Missing closing brackets at the end are added automatically.
4. Read the result. S⇔D swaps between the exact form and the decimal, and Mixed shows 7/3 as 2 1/3.
5. Open Show details to see how your expression was read and whether the answer is exact or floating point.
6. Tap a history line to reload it. AC clears the box, while Reset wipes memory, variables, history and the angle unit.

Keyboard shortcuts work too: Enter calculates, Escape clears, and the up and down arrows walk through your history.

The Eight Modes

• COMP: the main calculator for everyday and scientific expressions, including integrals, derivatives, sums and SOLVE.
• CMPLX: arithmetic with complex numbers, shown in rectangular and polar form.
• STAT: one-variable statistics and six regression types with a prediction box.
• BASE: decimal, hexadecimal, binary and octal conversion with bitwise operators.
• EQN: quadratic and cubic equations, plus systems with two or three unknowns.
• MATRIX: addition, subtraction, multiplication, determinant, inverse and transpose for matrices up to 3 by 3.
• VECTOR: sums, differences, dot product, cross product, length and angle for 2D and 3D vectors.
• TABLE: up to 30 values of f(X) over a start, end and step you choose.

Rules This Calculator Follows

• Order of operations: brackets, then factorial and percent, then powers, then a leading minus sign, then implied multiplication, then multiplication and division, then addition and subtraction.
• Powers group from the right, so 2^3^2 equals 512, and -2^2 equals -4.
• Implied multiplication binds tighter than division. That means 1/2pi is read as 1/(2pi), and 8/2(2+2) equals 1.
• Two numbers side by side, such as 3 4, cause a syntax error instead of a silent guess.
• Decimals you type are exact, so 0.1 + 0.2 gives exactly 3/10.
• Square roots of perfect squares come out exact, and simple roots appear in surd form such as 2√2.
• Sine, cosine and tangent are exact at multiples of 30 and 45 degrees. Other angles use floating point.
• Answers show 10 significant digits. Whole numbers up to 15 digits appear in full, and larger or tiny values switch to scientific notation like 2.432902008E+18.
• An entry can hold up to 300 characters, and factorials go up to 170.

Worked Examples

All results below come from the calculator itself.

• Fraction sum: 1/3 + 1/6 returns 1/2, which is 0.5 as a decimal.
• Exact decimals: 0.1 + 0.2 returns 3/10, which is 0.3.
• Simple root: sqrt(8) returns 2√2, which is 2.828427125.
• Angle in degrees: sin(30) returns 1/2.
• Angle in radians: sin(30) returns -0.9880316241 once RAD is selected.
• Compound growth: 1000(1+0.05)^10 returns 1628.894627, the value of 1000 after ten years of 5 percent yearly growth.
• Card hands: nCr(52,5) returns 2598960 possible five-card hands.
• Large factorial: 20! returns 2.432902008E+18.
• Quadratic in EQN: the coefficients 1, -5, 6 return x1 = 2 and x2 = 3.
• Complex product in CMPLX: (3+4i)(1-2i) returns 11-2i.
• Statistics in STAT: the data 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 give a mean of 3, a population SD of 1.414213562 and a sample SD of 1.58113883.
• Base conversion in BASE: DEC 255 shows HEX FF and BIN 11111111.
• Determinant in MATRIX: the matrix 1, 2; 3, 4 has a determinant of -2.

Useful Features

• Memory keys MC, MR, M+ and M- keep a running value in M.
• Variables A, B, C, D, E, F, X, Y and M hold results. Type 7→A to store 7, then use A in later expressions.
• Ans recalls the last result.
• Calculus tools: integral, d/dx and sigma keys accept an expression in X, for example ∫(X^2,0,3) returns 9.
• SOLVE finds X for an equation such as X^2-5X+6=0 from a starting guess you provide.
• The 2nd key swaps sin, cos, tan and others for their inverse functions.
• Copy result places the answer on your clipboard.
• Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere, and the history disappears when you close the page.

When This Scientific Calculator Online Helps

• Checking homework in algebra, trigonometry, logarithms and statistics.
• Working through physics or engineering formulas that mix powers and roots.
• Comparing compound growth for savings or investment ideas.
• Converting numbers between decimal, hex, binary and octal for coding tasks.
• Solving small systems of equations or inverting a matrix without a spreadsheet.
• Building a quick table of values before sketching a graph.

Tips for Accurate Results

• Select the angle unit first, because the same sin(30) gives different answers in DEG and RAD.
• Use brackets around a whole numerator or denominator when in doubt.
• Tap S⇔D to see the decimal behind a fraction, or the fraction behind a decimal.
• For roots of any order, use nthroot(n, x). For example, nthroot(3, 27) returns 3.
• Use Show details when an answer surprises you. It reveals how the expression was read.

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting the angle unit. A result that looks wrong is often a DEG versus RAD mix-up.
• Typing 1/2pi when you meant (1/2)pi. Implied multiplication makes it 1/(2pi).
• Entering two numbers with a space and no operator, which gives a syntax error.
• Expecting tan(90) to return a number. In degrees it is undefined, so the calculator reports a Math error.
• Using factorials above 170 or negative values, which are out of range.

Frequently Asked Questions