Scientific Calculator
A full scientific calculator in your browser: trig and inverse trig in degrees or radians, natural and base-10 logs, powers and roots, factorial, π and e, parentheses, memory, and an Ans key. Click the keypad or just type — the result previews live as you build the expression.
What the keys do
The trig keys (sin, cos, tan) and their inverses respect the Deg/Rad toggle: in degree mode sin(30) = 0.5, in radian mode sin(π÷6) = 0.5. ln is the natural log (base e), log is base 10, √ takes a square root, x^y raises to any power, and n! computes factorials of whole numbers up to 170. EXP enters powers of ten, so 6.02 EXP 23 means 6.02×10²³. The calculator follows standard order of operations and supports implied multiplication like 2π or 3(4+1).
How it’s calculated
Expressions are tokenized and evaluated with a standard recursive-descent parser: parentheses and functions first, then factorial and squaring, then exponents (right-associative), then × and ÷, then + and −. Trig uses your device’s IEEE-754 double-precision math library; degree inputs are converted by ×π/180. Results display up to 12 significant digits.
Floating-point math is accurate to about 15–16 significant digits, so tiny rounding residue (like 1e-16 instead of 0) can appear in edge cases.
Worked example
In degree mode, sin(30) = 0.5. Typing 2 ^ 10 = gives 1,024, and √(2) returns 1.41421356237. Chaining works too: after 2^10 = shows 1024, pressing ÷ 4 = gives 256 because the operator picks up Ans automatically.
Common mistakes
- Getting sin(30) = −0.988 and thinking the calculator is broken — that is radian mode; switch the toggle to Deg.
- Writing −3² and expecting 9: squaring binds tighter than the minus sign, so it evaluates as −(3²) = −9. Use (−3)².
- Forgetting to close parentheses — unclosed groups are tolerated at =, but being explicit avoids surprises.
- Using log when you mean ln: log is base 10 here, as on most handheld calculators.
Where it is used
- Algebra, trigonometry, and physics homework without hunting for a handheld calculator.
- Quick engineering checks: powers, roots, logs, and scientific-notation entry.
- Statistics prep work such as factorials for permutations and combinations.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use degree or radian mode?
Use degrees for geometry, navigation, and most school problems (sin 30° = 0.5). Use radians for calculus, physics formulas, and anything involving π directly (sin(π/2) = 1). The Deg/Rad toggle above the keypad switches modes instantly and applies to sin, cos, tan and their inverses.
What order of operations does the calculator follow?
Standard PEMDAS: parentheses first, then functions and factorials, then exponents (right to left), then multiplication and division, then addition and subtraction. So 2 + 3 × 4 = 14, and 2^3^2 = 2^9 = 512. Use parentheses whenever you want to force a different order.
What does the Ans key do?
Ans inserts the result of your previous calculation, so you can chain work without retyping. Pressing an operator right after = does this automatically: if the display shows 25 and you press +5=, you get 30.
How do the memory keys work?
M+ adds the current result to memory, M− subtracts it, MR recalls the stored value into your expression, and MC clears memory to zero. Memory persists between calculations until you clear it or leave the page.
Can I type with my keyboard?
Yes. Digits, + − * /, ^ for powers, parentheses, the decimal point, and ! all work from the keyboard. Enter evaluates, Backspace deletes the last entry, and Escape clears everything.