Scientific Calculator
Crunch advanced math in seconds — trigonometry, logarithms, powers and roots — with DEG and RAD modes.
Scientific calculator
Tap the keys or type on your keyboard.
Tip: you can also type on your keyboard — Enter = equals, Esc = clear.
- Press = (or Enter) to lock a result into Ans — reuse it in the next expression; the M+, M−, MR and MC keys handle multi-step problems without retyping.
- DEG vs RAD changes every trig answer: sin(30) = 0.5 in degrees — check the mode before you trust a sine, cosine or tangent.
- Factorials, powers and roots are built in — but factorial only accepts whole numbers from 0 to 170, because 171! overflows the largest number JavaScript can hold.
The complete guide to the scientific calculator
How expressions are evaluated, the rules the calculator follows, degrees vs radians, the new inverse-trig and factorial functions, and the mistakes almost everyone makes once.
⌨️How this calculator works
Type or tap an expression using the keypad — digits, operators, functions like sin or log, and parentheses. A built-in math parser reads your expression, respects the order of operations, and shows the answer live as you type. It works as a full online calculator: press = (or Enter) to lock the result into Ans, which you can reuse in your next expression.
The keypad covers everything: digits and operators, parentheses, % and !, square and cube roots, powers including the y√x pattern (^(1/), the constants π and e, all six trig functions plus their inverses, both logarithms — and memory keys M+, M−, MR, MC for multi-step problems. Keyboard users can type everything directly: Enter = equals, Esc = clear.
I reach for this online scientific calculator whenever a problem outgrows basic arithmetic — it is the advanced calculator I keep open during homework, lab work, and quick engineering checks. Everything a separate sin calculator, log table, or factorial chart would give me lives on this one keypad, and because it runs entirely in the browser, I can start typing the second the page loads: no app to install, no account, nothing to download.
🔢Order of operations, explained
This calculator follows the same rules you learned in school (PEMDAS / BODMAS): 1. Parentheses first · 2. Exponents and roots · 3. Multiplication and division, left to right · 4. Addition and subtraction, left to right.
Example: in 2+3×4 the multiplication happens before the addition, so the answer is 14 — not 20. When in doubt, add parentheses to make your meaning explicit.
Two conventions to know: exponents bind tighter than a leading minus, so −3^2 = −9 — write (−3)^2 if you want 9. And % simply divides the number before it by 100, so 50% = 0.5 and 200 + 10% = 200.1 (this is the pure mathematical percent, not the “add 10 percent” button on shop tills).
🧮Every function on the keypad, with a worked example
I learn a calculator by its functions, so here is the whole keypad in one table — what each family does, and one example worked exactly as I would type it. Every answer is shown the way this calculator displays it, rounded to ten significant digits.
| Buttons | What it does | Worked example |
|---|---|---|
| sin · cos · tan | Trigonometry — ratios of sides in a right triangle, and the mathematics of waves and circles. This row is my sin calculator and cos calculator in one: sine and cosine read an angle and return a ratio between −1 and 1, so cos(60°) is also 0.5, while tan(45°) lands exactly on 1. All three follow the DEG/RAD toggle. | sin(30°) = 0.5 |
| asin · acos · atan | Inverse trig — runs the row above backwards. I give it a ratio and it hands me the angle, in degrees when I am in DEG mode and radians in RAD mode. asin and acos only accept inputs from −1 to 1, because no angle has a sine or cosine outside that range. | asin(0.5) = 30° |
| log · ln | Logarithms unwind powers. log is base 10 — the scale behind pH and decibels — and ln is base e, the natural logarithm behind growth and decay. Where log(x) asks “10 to what power gives x?”, ln(x) asks the same question about e: ln(e^2) comes back as exactly 2. | log(1000) = 3 |
| ^ · x² · x³ · 10ˣ · eˣ | Powers, with shortcuts for the common cases. The ^ key raises any base to any power, fractions included — which is also how roots sneak in, since the y√x key simply starts a ^(1/ pattern. 10ˣ and eˣ are one-tap versions for the two bases science uses most. | 2^10 = 1024 |
| √ · cbrt | Roots undo powers: √ takes a square root, cbrt a cube root. On a keyboard I type sqrt( and cbrt( instead. One difference worth knowing — cbrt accepts negatives, so cbrt(−27) = −3, while √ of a negative stops with a domain message, because no real number squares to a negative. | √(144) = 12 |
| π · e | The two constants. π ≈ 3.141592654 runs everything circular, from circumferences to wave phases; e ≈ 2.718281828 is the base of natural growth and the natural log. I tap the keys or type pi and e — both are full-precision values, not 3.14-style approximations. | 2π = 6.283185307 |
| ! | Factorial — a whole number multiplied by every positive integer below it. Factorials count arrangements and power probability: the number of ways to line up 7 books on a shelf is 7!, and they grow so fast that this key stops at 170! rather than pretend the answer still fits the display. | 7! = 5040 |
| % | Pure mathematical percent: it divides the number in front of it by 100 and does nothing else, so inside a formula 8% is simply 0.08 — 250*8% gives exactly 20. That is why 200 + 10% = 200.1 here and not 220: this percent key never “adds on” a percentage the way a shop till does. | 50% = 0.5 |
A habit worth building: before I trust an answer, I run one example from this table whose result I already know. It takes two seconds, and it catches the single most common error on this page — a trig function evaluated in the wrong angle mode. The blocks around this one go deeper on the rules behind the table: order of operations above, degrees vs radians below.
📐Degrees vs radians
Angles can be measured two ways. Degrees split a full circle into 360 parts — the system most people learn in school. Radians split it into 2π (about 6.28) parts and are the standard in higher math and physics.
Because trig functions like sin and cos take an angle, they need to know which unit you mean: sin(30) is 0.5 in degrees but −0.988 in radians. Use the DEG/RAD toggle above the keypad to match your problem — school homework almost always means degrees. The inverse functions follow the same mode: asin(0.5) = 30° in DEG, or about 0.5236 radians in RAD.
Converting between the two is a single multiplication. To turn degrees into radians, multiply by π/180: 45° × π/180 = 0.7853981634 rad (exactly π/4), and 135° = 2.35619449 rad. To go back, multiply by 180/π: 0.5 rad = 28.64788976°, and a full radian is 57.29577951°. I use this calculator itself as my degree calculator for conversions — I type 135*pi/180 and read 2.35619449 straight off the display. The toggle itself only matters once a trig function is involved; plain arithmetic is identical in both modes.
| Degrees | Radians (exact) | Radians (decimal) |
|---|---|---|
| 0° | 0 | 0 |
| 30° | π/6 | 0.5235987756 |
| 45° | π/4 | 0.7853981634 |
| 60° | π/3 | 1.047197551 |
| 90° | π/2 | 1.570796327 |
| 180° | π | 3.141592654 |
| 270° | 3π/2 | 4.71238898 |
| 360° | 2π | 6.283185307 |
One worked example in each mode, the pair I check myself with: in DEG, tan(45) = 1 — at 45° the two shorter sides of a right triangle are equal, so their ratio is exactly 1. In RAD, cos(pi) = −1 — pi radians is half a circle, the point where cosine bottoms out. If either check gives me anything else, my mode is wrong, not my math.
∠Inverse trig and factorials
Inverse trigonometry runs the trig functions backwards: instead of “what is sin(30°)?” you ask “which angle has a sine of 0.5?” — that is asin(0.5) = 30° (DEG), the job of a sine calculator in reverse. Likewise acos(0.5) = 60° and atan(1) = 45°. Inputs to asin and acos must lie between −1 and 1 — anything outside that range has no real angle, and the calculator tells you so instead of guessing.
Factorials multiply a whole number by every smaller positive integer: 5! = 5×4×3×2×1 = 120, and 0! = 1 by definition. Factorials count arrangements — the number of ways to order 5 books is 5! = 120. This calculator supports 0! through 170! (170! ≈ 7.26×10306, near the largest number it can display); 171! and beyond show a clear “too large” message rather than Infinity.
🔬Working in scientific notation
Science runs on numbers like 2.99792458×108 — the speed of light in metres per second — and 9.11×10−31, the mass of an electron in kilograms. There is no E or EXP key on this keypad, and I honestly do not miss it: I type the power of ten directly. The 10ˣ key starts a 10^( for me, so the speed of light goes in as 2.99792458*10^8 and comes back as the full 299,792,458. An electron mass is 9.11*10^(-31) — note the parentheses around the negative exponent, which keep the minus sign attached to the power where it belongs.
Reading answers back takes one adjustment. At a trillion (1012) and beyond, or below a billionth (10−9), the display switches to the same shorthand and shows about seven significant digits: 6.02214076*10^23 — Avogadro’s number — comes back as 6.022141e+23, which reads as 6.022141×1023, and 1/10^12 returns as 1e-12. Between those limits I get up to ten significant digits, so everyday answers like 1628.894627 arrive in full. When a homework answer needs more digits than the e-display shows, I split the work: I handle the power of ten on paper and let the calculator carry the mantissa at full precision.
💾Memory and Ans: chain your calculations
For multi-step problems you don’t need to scribble intermediate results:
- Ans always holds your last result — after computing 2+3, typing Ans*4 gives 20.
- M+ adds the current result to memory, M− subtracts it, MR recalls the stored value into your expression, MC clears it.
- Example: compute (45+55), press M+, then (12×3), press M+ again — MR now gives 136, the running total.
⚠️Mistakes almost everyone makes once
- Wrong angle mode — the #1 error. If sin(30) gives −0.988 instead of 0.5, you are in RAD.
- Domain errors — √(−1), log(0), asin(2) and division by zero have no real answer; the calculator shows a plain-language message, never a bare “NaN”.
- tan(90°) is undefined (the function shoots to infinity) — flagged as an error, not a giant number.
- Forgetting parentheses in fractions: type 1/(2+3), not 1/2+3 (which is 3.5).
- % is not “add percent” — 200+10% is 200.1 here, not 220. Shop-till percent works differently.
✏️Three problems, start to finish
A ladder problem (Pythagoras). A ladder reaches 4 metres up a wall and its foot stands 3 metres out — how long is the ladder? I type sqrt(3^2+4^2): the squares add to 9 + 16 = 25 inside the root, and the display shows 5. A 5-metre ladder — the classic 3-4-5 triangle, and the reason the √ key earns its place on the pad.
Growth of $1,000 (powers). Money growing at 5% a year for 10 years is 1000*1.05^10 — the ^ key does all ten years of compounding in one step — and the calculator returns 1628.894627, about $1,628.89. Swap in a different rate or a different number of years and the same one-line pattern handles any compound-growth estimate I throw at it.
An unknown angle (inverse trig). A ramp rises 3 metres over a 4-metre run. The angle is atan(3/4) with the toggle on DEG, which returns 36.86989765 — about 36.87°. This is the problem type I reach for most: two sides known, one angle wanted, and atan answers it in a single expression.
Notice what all three share — one expression each, typed in full, with parentheses doing the organising. That is the whole skill this calculator rewards: say the entire problem in one line, and let the order of operations sort it out.
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→How to use the scientific calculator
From expression to answer in three simple steps.
Use the keypad — or your keyboard — mixing digits, operators, functions and parentheses.
Trigonometry needs an angle unit. Tap DEG for degrees or RAD for radians above the keypad.
The result updates live as you type. Press = (or Enter) to lock it in and keep calculating.
⚙️Order of operations, explained
This calculator follows the same rules you learned in school (PEMDAS / BODMAS): 1. Parentheses first · 2. Exponents and roots · 3. Multiplication and division, left to right · 4. Addition and subtraction, left to right.
Example: in 2+3×4 the multiplication happens before the addition, so the answer is 14 — not 20. When in doubt, add parentheses to make your meaning explicit.
📐Degrees vs radians
Angles can be measured two ways. Degrees split a full circle into 360 parts — the system most people learn in school. Radians split it into 2π (about 6.28) parts and are the standard in higher math and physics. Because trig functions like sin and cos take an angle, they need to know which unit you mean: sin(30) is 0.5 in degrees but −0.988 in radians. Use the DEG/RAD toggle above the keypad to match your problem — school homework almost always means degrees.
√What functions are supported
sin, cos, tan — trigonometry; they follow the DEG/RAD mode. Try sin(30) in DEG = 0.5. asin, acos, atan — inverse trig, mode-aware. log — base-10 logarithm: log(100) = 2. ln — natural logarithm: ln(e) = 1. √ — square root: √(16) = 4. cbrt — cube root: cbrt(27) = 3. ^ — powers: 2^10 = 1024; nth roots via ^(1/n). ! — factorial: 5! = 120. π, e — constants; you can write 2π directly. % — percent: divides the number before it by 100, so 50% = 0.5. ( ) — parentheses. One convention to know: exponents bind tighter than a leading minus, so −3^2 = −9. Write (−3)^2 if you want 9.
🔢Logarithms, factorials and the change-of-base shortcut
Logarithms unwind powers. The log key is base 10: log of 1,000 is 3, because 10 to the power 3 is 1,000. The ln key is base e, the natural logarithm: ln of e squared is exactly 2. Both keys ask the same question — to what power must the base be raised to give this number — with different bases, and both stop with a domain message for zero or negative inputs, where no real power gives the answer.
Factorials multiply downwards: 5 factorial is 5 times 4 times 3 times 2 times 1, which is 120, and 0 factorial is 1 by convention, the empty product. They grow astonishingly fast — 10 factorial is already 3,628,800 — which is why factorials appear in counting and probability problems and why the calculator, not hand arithmetic, is the right tool past the first few values.
For a logarithm in any other base, use the change-of-base shortcut with the keys this keypad has: log base b of x equals ln of x divided by ln of b. Log base 2 of 8 is ln 8 divided by ln 2, which is 3, because 2 cubed is 8. The same shortcut works with log in place of ln — divide the two base-10 logs instead — and it needs no new key, only the division key you already have.
Frequently asked questions
How does this scientific calculator work?
Type or tap an expression using the keypad — digits, operators, functions like sin or log, and parentheses. A built-in math parser reads your expression, respects the order of operations, and shows the answer live as you type. Press = to lock the result into Ans for your next calculation.
What is the difference between DEG and RAD mode?
DEG mode measures angles in degrees (a full circle is 360°), so sin(30) = 0.5. RAD mode uses radians (a full circle is 2π), so sin(π ÷ 6) = 0.5. Use the DEG/RAD toggle above the keypad to switch — school math usually uses degrees. Inverse trig follows the same mode.
Does it follow the order of operations?
Yes. Exponents come before multiplication and division, which come before addition and subtraction, and parentheses come first of all. So 2 + 3 × 4 = 14, not 20. A leading minus binds less tightly than exponents, so −3^2 = −9 — write (−3)^2 for 9.
Which functions are supported?
Trigonometry (sin, cos, tan) and inverse trig (asin, acos, atan), log base 10, natural log (ln), square root (√), cube root (cbrt), powers (^) including nth roots via ^(1/n), factorials (!), the constants π and e, percentages (%), parentheses, memory (M+, M−, MR, MC) and Ans recall.
How does the % button work?
It divides the number before it by 100 — pure mathematical percent. So 50% becomes 0.5, and 200 + 10% gives 200.1. (Note: this differs from shop-till percent keys, which would give 220.)
Is this scientific calculator free to use?
Yes — completely free, with no sign-up. Every calculation runs in your browser, so nothing you type is sent or stored anywhere.
How do I calculate an inverse sine?
Use asin: asin(0.5) in DEG mode gives 30° — the angle whose sine is 0.5. Inputs must be between −1 and 1; anything outside that range has no real angle and shows a clear error. acos and atan work the same way.
How do factorials work here?
Type a whole number followed by ! — 5! = 120, 0! = 1. Supported from 0! to 170!; 171! and beyond show a “too large” message, and non-integers or negatives show a domain error.
What are M+ and Ans for?
Ans always holds your last result — after 2+3, typing Ans*4 gives 20. M+ adds the current result to memory, M− subtracts, MR recalls it, MC clears it. Together they let you chain multi-step calculations without writing anything down.
Can it solve equations?
Not in the way an equation calculator or algebra solver does — this tool evaluates expressions; it does not isolate an unknown or show solving steps. What I do instead is test a candidate answer by substitution. To check whether x = 3 solves 2x + 5 = 11, I type 2*3+5 and get 11 — the two sides match, so x = 3 is right. Typing 2^2-5*2+6 gives 0, which confirms x = 2 is a root of x^2 − 5x + 6 = 0. Substitution turns this calculator into a reliable answer-checker for almost any equation homework.
Can it do fractions?
Yes — if you came looking for a calculator with fractions, know that here a fraction bar is simply a divide sign. I type 3/4 and get 0.75, 1+1/2 gives 1.5, and (5/6)+(1/3) gives 1.166666667, with the parentheses keeping the additions honest. Answers always come back as decimals, rounded to ten significant digits. When I need exact fraction arithmetic instead — adding, subtracting, and simplifying fractions and mixed numbers with the working shown — I use our dedicated fraction calculator, which is the better tool for that job.
How do I calculate a logarithm with a different base?
Use the change-of-base shortcut: log base b of x equals ln of x divided by ln of b, using the ln key this keypad has. Log base 2 of 8 is ln 8 divided by ln 2, which is 3, because 2 cubed is 8. The same shortcut works with log in place of ln — divide the two base-10 logs instead. No separate base key is needed, only the division key.
What is the difference between log and ln?
Only the base. Log is base 10: log of 1,000 is 3, because 10 to the power 3 is 1,000, and log is the scale behind pH and decibels. Ln is base e: ln of e squared is exactly 2, and ln is the logarithm behind growth and decay. Both keys ask to what power the base must be raised to give the number, and both refuse zero and negative inputs, where no real power gives an answer.
Can I use this calculator for chemistry pH problems?
For the arithmetic, yes: pH is minus log base 10 of the hydrogen-ion concentration, so a concentration of 0.001 gives pH 3, computed with the log key and a minus sign. The calculator evaluates the numbers you type; it does not convert units or concentrations — for unit conversions, use the conversion tools, and for the chemistry itself, follow your course’s definitions for activity and temperature, which this keypad does not model.
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