What is a scientific calculator?
A scientific calculator handles more than basic sums. It supports brackets, powers, square roots, percentages, factorials, logarithms and trigonometric functions such as sine, cosine and tangent, which are used in school maths, physics, engineering and many technical jobs.
You can use the on-screen keys or type with your keyboard. Press Enter or the equals key to get the result.
Order of operations and degrees or radians
The calculator follows the standard order of operations: brackets first, then powers, then multiplication and division, then addition and subtraction. So 2+3*4 equals 14, not 20, and sqrt(16)+2^3 equals 12.
Trigonometric functions depend on the angle mode. In DEG mode sin(30) equals 0.5, while in RAD mode the same input treats 30 as radians and gives about -0.988. Use the DEG or RAD button to match your problem. Log is base 10, ln is the natural logarithm, and ln(e) equals 1.
Common mistakes to avoid
Most wrong answers come from a few habits. Forgetting to close a bracket makes the expression invalid. A minus sign before a power applies after the power is calculated, so -2^2 is -4, while 2^-2 is 0.25. Mixing up degrees and radians produces confusing answers in trigonometry. Typing a percentage as a plain number instead of using the percent key changes the result. Check your answer with a rough estimate in your head, for example that the square root of 50 should be a little over 7.
How to use it
- Type an expression such as 2+3*4 or tap the keys.
- Use the function keys for sin, cos, tan, ln, log and square root. Each adds an opening bracket.
- Switch between DEG and RAD to match your problem.
- Press = or Enter for the result, C to clear and the back key to delete.
Practical tips
- Close every bracket you open, or you will see an error.
- Powers use the ^ key, so 2^10 gives 1024.
- Implicit multiplication works, so 2(3+4) and 2pi are understood.
- For exam work, check whether your teacher expects degrees or radians.
Frequently asked questions
Does it follow the order of operations?
Yes: brackets, powers, multiplication and division, then addition and subtraction.
Why do I see Error?
The expression is incomplete or invalid, for example an open bracket, division by zero or the square root of a negative number.
What is the difference between log and ln?
Log is base 10 and ln is base e.
Is tan(90) defined?
Not in degrees, so the calculator shows Error.
Is my input stored?
No. Everything stays in your browser.