Scientific Calculator
A full scientific calculator in your browser — trig, logs, exponents, fractions and equation solving, with keyboard-first input.
Calculate
Equation solver, derivative & integral
History
Click any row to load it back into the input, edit, and press Enter to re-run. ↑/↓ browses history from the input.
Try these
- (degrees mode)
- (degrees mode)
- (degrees mode)
How to Use the Scientific Calculator
This calculator is built for your keyboard first. Click into the expression box and just type — sin(30) + √(144), 2^10, (3+2i)*(1-i) — then press Enter. Arrow keys browse your history: ↑ pulls up the last calculation so you can tweak and re-run it without retyping. Prefer tapping? The keypad below covers digits, operators, π, e, and an Ans key that inserts your last answer.
Before any trigonometry, glance at the Degrees / Radians toggle. It sits right above the keypad because forgetting it is the single most common scientific-calculator mistake. Function groups live under tabs — Trig (including inverse and hyperbolic functions), Log·Pow (logs, roots, powers, factorials), Const (π, e, φ, τ), Mem (memory and variables), and Tools (prime factors, equation solver, calculus).
Function Guide: sin, cos, log, xy
| Button | What it does | Example | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| sin, cos, tan | Sine, cosine, tangent of an angle | sin(30°) = 0.5 | 0.5 |
| sin⁻¹, cos⁻¹, tan⁻¹ | Inverse trig: angle from a ratio | asin(0.5) = 30° | 30 |
| sinh, cosh, tanh | Hyperbolic functions | sinh(1) | 1.175201 |
| log | Base-10 logarithm | log(1000) = 3 | 3 |
| ln | Natural logarithm (base e) | ln(e²) = 2 | 2 |
| xʸ | Power: type 2^10 | 2^10 | 1024 |
| √, ∛ | Square / cube root | √(144) | 12 |
| 10ˣ, eˣ | Exponential buttons | 10^(2) | 100 |
| n! | Factorial | 5! | 120 |
| |x| | Absolute value | abs(−7) | 7 |
Every answer appears three ways: the decimal (with your chosen notation), the simplified fraction whenever the result is a "nice" rational number (0.75 also shows as ¾), and a copy button. Results like 1/3 show the decimal plus the exact fraction, so you never lose precision silently.
Worked Examples
Example 1 — Order of operations
2 + 3 × 4. Multiplication comes before addition: 3 × 4 = 12, then 2 + 12 = 14. (If you meant (2 + 3) × 4 = 20, add the parentheses — the calculator follows standard PEMDAS.)
Example 2 — Right triangle
A ladder leans at 65° and its foot is 2 m from the wall. How tall is the ladder? Height = 2 × tan(65°) ≈ 2 × 2.1445 = 4.289 m. In degrees mode, type 2*tan(65).
Example 3 — Compound growth
$1,000 invested at 7% annual interest for 10 years: 1000*1.07^10 = $1,967.15. The ^ key handles any exponent, fractional ones included: 16^0.5 = 4.
Example 4 — Complex numbers
(3+2i)*(1-i) = 5 + i. The calculator handles the imaginary unit i natively — handy for electrical engineering and physics coursework.
Degrees vs Radians
Angles can be measured two ways: degrees (360° in a full circle) or radians (2π in a full circle, so 180° = π ≈ 3.14159 radians). Geometry classes and everyday problems use degrees; calculus, physics, and most programming languages default to radians.
The danger is that the same keystrokes give wildly different answers: sin(30) is 0.5 in degrees mode but −0.988 in radians mode. Neither is "wrong" — they answer different questions. If a trig answer looks absurd, the mode toggle is the first thing to check. This calculator defaults to degrees (what most students expect) and labels the current mode next to every result.
Exam Tips
- Set the angle mode before the first question, not during. Write "DEG" at the top of your scratch paper as a reminder.
- Close your parentheses.
sin(30+15)needs both — a missing)is the most common syntax error. - Chain with Ans instead of retyping decimals. Rounding intermediate steps (0.333 instead of ⅓) injects error; Ans keeps full precision.
- Sanity-check magnitudes. If sin gives you 500, you are in the wrong mode. If a probability exceeds 1, recheck the formula.
- Know what your exam allows. Many standardized tests permit scientific calculators but not graphing or programmable ones — this page-based tool is fine for practice, but confirm the rules for test day.
My saved numbers reuse them in any calculator
Save a number once — like your rent or hourly rate — then just type its name instead of the number, in any calculator here. You can also type formulas like 5000 * 1.1 right into any box.
Saved only in this browser — nothing is sent to us.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you use a scientific calculator?
Type the whole expression — for example sin(30) + sqrt(144) — and press Enter or =. Use the keypad for symbols like π, exponents (^) and parentheses. Check the DEG/RAD toggle first: trig answers depend on it.
What is the difference between degrees and radians?
Both measure angles: 360 degrees = 2π radians, so 180° = π radians. School geometry usually uses degrees; calculus and physics usually use radians. sin(30°) = 0.5, but sin(30 radians) ≈ −0.988 — mixing them up is the most common scientific-calculator mistake.
How do I calculate exponents?
Use the ^ key: 2^10 = 1024. For squares there is an x² button, and for roots use √ (square root) or ∛ (cube root). For "10 to the power of x", use the 10ˣ button; for eˣ, use the eˣ button.
What does the log button do?
log means base-10 logarithm: log(1000) = 3 because 10³ = 1000. ln is the natural logarithm (base e ≈ 2.718): ln(e²) = 2. Logs answer the question "10 to what power gives me this number?"
What is the best free online scientific calculator?
The best one is the one that matches how you work: full keyboard input, a clear degrees/radians toggle, visible history you can edit and re-run, and answers shown as fractions as well as decimals. This calculator was built around exactly those four things — try the examples below.