Scientific Calculator
Full-featured scientific calculator with trig, logs, exponents, roots, and a complete expression parser. Order of operations, parentheses, and constants — type expressions naturally.
How to Use
- Type an expression, or use the keypad — both edit the same line, and the result updates live as you go.
- Press 2nd to reach the inverse/secondary functions (sin⁻¹, 10ˣ, eˣ, x³, hyperbolics, M+/M−…).
- Tap Rad to cycle the angle mode Rad → Deg → Grad; it applies to trig and inverse trig.
- Constants: pi/π, e, tau/τ, phi/φ. Ans reuses your last answer; M+/M−/MR/MC are the memory.
- Powers with ^ (2^10), factorial with ! (5!), implicit multiply (2pi, 3(4+5)), functions like root(3,27), nCr(5,2), log(2,8).
- Press Enter or = to commit; results stack in the history below — click any entry to load it back.
History
Supported Functions
A Brief History of the Scientific Calculator
Mechanical "scientific" calculation predates electronic calculators by centuries. Slide rules (invented in 1622, refined through the 19th century) gave engineers and scientists their go-to multiplication, division, log, and trig tools through the 1970s. Mechanical desktop calculators handled basic arithmetic; specialized scientific functions waited for electronics.
Hewlett-Packard's HP-35 (1972) was the first handheld scientific calculator — a $395 device (about $3,000 today) that took the slide-rule industry from world-leading to extinct in less than a decade. The HP-35 introduced RPN (Reverse Polish Notation) input, a hardware-implemented log table for trig, and a battery-powered LED display. By 1980, programmable scientific calculators (HP-41C, TI-58) were standard tools for engineering students.
Modern scientific calculators are everywhere — built into operating systems, available as apps, embedded in spreadsheet formulas. The browser-based version you're using runs on the same JavaScript engine that handles every web page; the math precision (IEEE 754 double) matches every other computational environment. The slide rule's accuracy was about 3 significant digits; modern double-precision is 15–17. Same calculations, six orders of magnitude more precision.
About This Calculator
This calculator includes a recursive-descent expression parser that handles infix operators with proper precedence, function calls, parentheses, named constants, and implicit multiplication. Trigonometric functions accept either radians or degrees based on the toggle. All arithmetic uses JavaScript's native double-precision floating-point — same precision as Python's float, C's double, and most modern computing environments.
Everything runs entirely in your browser; no expressions are transmitted, logged, or stored. The history panel saves recently-evaluated expressions for reference and copy-paste. For arbitrary-precision arithmetic see the Big Number Calculator; for exact rational arithmetic see the Fraction Calculator.
About the Scientific Calculator
The Scientific Calculator is a free tool for everyday maths and number work. It runs right in your web browser, so there is nothing to download. Full-featured scientific calculator with trig, logs, exponents, roots, and a complete expression parser. Order of operations, parentheses, and constants — type expressions naturally.
How it works
Type your numbers into the boxes. The answer shows up right away — you do not have to press a button. If you change a number, the answer changes too. So you can try different numbers and watch what happens, or check an answer you worked out yourself. Just make sure each box has the right kind of number in it.
Want the deeper story? The Knowledge Base explains the ideas behind the tools in more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this respect order of operations?
Yes — the parser handles full PEMDAS/BODMAS: parentheses first, then exponents, then multiplication and division (left to right), then addition and subtraction (left to right). Implicit multiplication is supported (2pi, 3(4+5)). When in doubt, parenthesize: <code>(1 + 2) * 3</code> is unambiguous.
What's the difference between log and ln?
log is base-10 logarithm (log₁₀). ln is natural logarithm (base e). log2 is base-2. log(100) = 2; ln(e) = 1; log2(1024) = 10. Some calculators use 'log' for natural log instead — this one follows the calculus convention where log without subscript is base 10.
How precise is the calculator?
About 15–17 significant decimal digits, the same as JavaScript's IEEE 754 double-precision floating point. Common surprises: 0.1 + 0.2 = 0.30000000000000004 (not a bug — exact representation of decimal fractions in binary is impossible). For exact rational arithmetic, use the Fraction Calculator. For arbitrary-precision integers, use the Big Number Calculator.
Are angles in radians or degrees?
Either, controlled by the radio buttons. Radians is the mathematical default — sin(pi/2) = 1. Degrees is more intuitive for everyday angles — sin(90) = 1 in degree mode. Most engineering and physics use radians; surveying, navigation, and trigonometry textbooks often use degrees. If your answer looks wrong, double-check the angle mode.
Why does sin(0) sometimes give a tiny number instead of 0?
Floating-point representation of pi is slightly inexact, so sin(pi) is something like 1.22e-16 instead of exactly 0. For small results that should be zero, the calculator rounds to zero in the display when below a noise threshold; pure expressions still show full precision.
What's e^x vs exp(x)?
Identical. e^x is the explicit form using the constant e ≈ 2.71828. exp(x) is the named function — slightly more numerically stable for very large or very small inputs because the implementation can avoid intermediate overflow. Use either in everyday math.
How do I use the Scientific Calculator?
Just type your numbers. The answer shows up right away — there is no button to press. Change anything and it updates by itself.
Is it free? Does it work without internet?
Yes to both. It is free with no sign-up, and once the page has loaded it keeps working even with no internet.
Where does my data go?
Nowhere — every calculation runs on your own device. Nothing you enter is uploaded, logged, or stored.
Common Use Cases
Engineering calculations
Compute stress, strain, frequency response, and other formulas that combine trig, logs, and exponentials.
Physics homework
Evaluate kinematic, thermodynamic, or electromagnetic formulas with one keystroke per expression.
Statistics and probability
Compute z-scores, t-statistics, factorials (small ones), and probability distribution values.
Astronomy and navigation
Solve spherical-trig problems for sun position, great-circle distance, or celestial mechanics.
Financial math
Compute compound interest with arbitrary periods, log-based time-to-double, and continuous compounding.
Quick conversions
Use the parser as a tape calculator — chain operations, copy intermediate results, build up complex expressions.
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