Scientific Calculator
A full-featured scientific calculator with trigonometry, logarithms, exponents, memory functions, and calculation history.
What Is a Scientific Calculator?
A scientific calculator extends the basic four operations — addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division — with functions that students, engineers, and scientists use every day. These include trigonometric functions (sine, cosine, tangent and their inverses), logarithms (base-10 and natural), exponents, roots, factorials, and constants like π and Euler's number e.
This online version also includes memory registers (MC, MR, M+, M−) so you can store intermediate results, a DEG/RAD toggle for angle units, parentheses for controlling order of operations, and a scrollable history of your recent calculations. It is designed to feel like a physical scientific calculator while being accessible from any device with a browser.
All computation runs locally in JavaScript. No data is sent to a server, and the calculator works offline once the page has loaded.
Example
Suppose you need to find the hypotenuse of a right triangle with legs of 5 and 12. Enter "5", press x² to get 25, then press "+", enter "12", press x² to get 144, then press "=" to get 169. Finally, press √ to get 13 — the hypotenuse. You can also compute sin(45°) in DEG mode: enter "45" and press "sin" to get approximately 0.7071067812.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between DEG and RAD mode?
DEG mode interprets angles in degrees (a full circle is 360°), while RAD mode uses radians (a full circle is 2π). Most everyday calculations use degrees. Radians are the standard in higher mathematics and most programming languages. Always check which mode is active before computing trigonometric functions.
How do the memory functions work?
MC clears the memory to zero. MR recalls the stored value and places it on the display. M+ adds the current display value to the memory. M− subtracts the current display value from the memory. Memory persists until you clear it or refresh the page.
What is the largest factorial this calculator can compute?
The calculator can compute factorials up to 170! (approximately 7.26 × 10³°&sup6;). Beyond that, the result exceeds JavaScript's maximum representable number and returns Infinity.
Can I use parentheses for order of operations?
Yes. Use the ( and ) buttons to group sub-expressions. The calculator evaluates parenthesized expressions first, following standard mathematical order of operations (PEMDAS).
Is my calculation history saved permanently?
No. The history is stored in your browser's session memory and is cleared when you refresh or close the page. Up to 20 recent calculations are kept during a single session.