How to use
- Enter an expression with the buttons or your keyboard, then press = or Enter. The top line shows the expression you just calculated and the bottom line shows the result.
- Function buttons such as sin and log add an opening parenthesis, so pressing sin gives sin(. Missing closing parentheses are added automatically: sin(30 is treated as sin(30).
- Press SHIFT and then a key to use the second function printed small above it, such as sin⁻¹, eˣ, 10ˣ, ∛, x³, ʸ√x, LCM, RanInt and Rec. SHIFT turns off after one key.
- The angle key (Deg) cycles through degrees (Deg), radians (Rad) and gradians (Gra). Degrees are the default, and your choice is remembered for your next visit.
- Ans inserts the previous result, and EXP inserts E, meaning “times 10 to the power of”: 2 EXP 3 is 2E3 = 2000.
- Functions that take two values, such as GCD(a, b), Pol(x, y) and log(a, b), use the comma key (,) between them.
- MC, MR, M+ and M− work with one memory value. M+ calculates the current expression and adds the result to memory; an M appears on the display while memory is not 0.
- On a keyboard, use the digits, . + - * / ^ ( ) % !, Enter or = to calculate, Backspace to delete and Escape to clear.
Order of operations
The calculator follows the standard order of operations: parentheses first, then postfix keys (x!, %, x², x³, 1/x), then powers and roots (xʸ, ʸ√x, EXP, nPr, nCr), then a leading minus sign, then ×, ÷ and mod, and finally + and −.
So 2+3×4 = 14 while (2+3)×4 = 20. A minus sign is applied after the power, so −2^2 = −4; to square a negative number, use parentheses: (−2)^2 = 4. Chained powers are worked out from the right: 2^3^2 = 2^9 = 512.
You can leave out the multiplication sign before a parenthesis, function or constant: 2π = 6.28318530718, 2(3+1) = 8 and 2sin(30) = 1.
Worked examples
- Height of a ladder: a 4 m ladder leans against a wall at 70° (Deg). Press 4, sin, 70, = to get 4sin(70) = 3.75877048314, so the top is about 3.76 m high.
- Angle from two sides: a ramp rises 3 m over 4 m. Press SHIFT, tan (tan⁻¹), then 3 ÷ 4 = to get tan⁻¹(3÷4) = 36.8698976458°.
- Rectangular to polar: Pol(3, 4) shows r=5, θ=53.1301023542, the distance and angle of the point (3, 4).
- Compound growth: $1,000 at 5% a year for 10 years is 1000×1.05^10 = 1628.89462678, using the xʸ key for the power.
- Logarithms: log(1000) = 3, ln(10) = 2.30258509299, and the base-2 log of 8 is log(2, 8) = 3.
- Combinations: the number of ways to choose 6 numbers from 49 is 49C6 = 13983816 (press 49, nCr, 6). Permutations work the same way: 5P2 = 20.
Common mistakes and good-to-know points
- Wrong angle unit: sin(30) is 0.5 in Deg but −0.988031624093 in Rad. Check the angle key before using trigonometric functions.
- In Deg, sin and cos of multiples of 90° give exact values, such as cos(90) = 0, while tan(90) is an error because it is undefined.
- The % key: 50% on its own is 0.5 and 200×10% = 20, but after + or −, the percent is taken of the value before it: 200+10% = 220 and 200−10% = 180.
- Results show up to 12 significant digits, so 1÷3 = 0.333333333333 and 0.1+0.2 = 0.3. Very large or very small numbers switch to scientific notation, such as 170! = 7.25741561531e+306.
- x! works for whole numbers from 0 to 170; 171! is too large and shows an error.
- Right after a result, S⇔D shows it as a fraction (3÷4 → 3/4), ENG shows engineering notation with powers of 10³ (12345 → 12.345e+3), and SHIFT + °′″ (→°′″) shows degrees, minutes and seconds. Press the same key again to return to the decimal.
- An error does not erase your expression, so you can fix it with ⌫ or clear it with AC.
Constants and definitions used
- Physical constants use CODATA values: c = 299792458 m/s, h = 6.62607015×10⁻³⁴ J·s, Nₐ = 6.02214076×10²³ mol⁻¹, k = 1.380649×10⁻²³ J/K (exact SI values) and G = 6.6743×10⁻¹¹ m³/(kg·s²).
- g = 9.80665 m/s² is the standard acceleration of gravity.
- log is the common logarithm (base 10), ln is the natural logarithm (base e ≈ 2.71828), and log₂ is the base-2 logarithm.
- A gradian (Gra) is 1/100 of a right angle, so 90° = 100 gradians.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate log on this calculator?
Press log, type the number and press =, for example log(1000) = 3. For another base, use log(a, b) with a comma: log(2, 8) = 3.
What is the difference between log and ln?
log is the common logarithm with base 10, and ln is the natural logarithm with base e (about 2.71828). For example, log(100) = 2 and ln(e) = 1.
Why does sin give the wrong answer?
The angle unit is probably set differently from what you expect. sin(30) is 0.5 in degrees (Deg) but about −0.988 in radians (Rad), so press the angle key until it shows the unit you need.
How do I calculate inverse sine (arcsin)?
Press SHIFT and then sin to enter sin⁻¹. In Deg, sin⁻¹(0.5) = 30; cos⁻¹ and tan⁻¹ work the same way with cos and tan.
How do I enter scientific notation like 6.02 × 10²³?
Type 6.02, press EXP, then type 23, which appears as 6.02E23. For a negative exponent, press − after EXP: 2E−3 = 0.002.
Why is −2² equal to −4?
By the standard order of operations, the power is calculated before the minus sign, so −2² means −(2²) = −4. To square −2, use parentheses: (−2)^2 = 4.
How does the percent key work?
On its own, x% means x ÷ 100, so 50% = 0.5. After + or −, it is a percentage of the value before it, so 200+10% = 220.