Scientific Calculator
Trigonometry, Logs & Powers
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Beyond the Four Functions
A scientific calculator adds the trigonometric, logarithmic, and exponential tools that engineering, physics, chemistry, and higher math depend on every day.
A full circle is 360° or 2π radians. Most real-world angle measurements (navigation, construction, geometry class) use degrees, while calculus and physics formulas almost always use radians — the DEG/RAD toggle keeps you in control.
log is base-10, ln is base-e (natural log), and x^y handles any exponent — together they cover the vast majority of scientific and engineering calculations.
Key Formulas
Key Takeaways
- Check your angle mode first. The single most common trig mistake is calculating in the wrong DEG/RAD mode.
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Exponentiation is right-associative. An expression like
2^3^2evaluates as2^(3^2), matching standard mathematical convention. - Domain errors are caught early. Square roots of negative numbers, logs of non-positive numbers, and factorials of non-integers all produce clear error messages.
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Still no
eval(). Every scientific function is resolved by the same hand-written parser used in our Basic Calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Tap number and operator keys to build your expression, just like a standard calculator.
- Use the function keys (
sin,cos,log,√, etc.) to insert a function call — the calculator adds the opening parenthesis for you. - Toggle DEG/RAD to switch how trigonometric functions interpret their input.
- Press
=to evaluate the full expression.
In DEG mode, trig functions treat their argument as degrees (e.g. sin(90) = 1). In RAD mode, the argument is treated as radians (e.g. sin(π/2) = 1). Mixing them up is one of the most common trigonometry mistakes, so the current mode is always shown on its own toggle button.
x^y inserts the general exponent operator so you can raise any base to any power, including decimals and negative numbers. x² is a shortcut that appends ^2 directly, since squaring is by far the most common exponent used in everyday and scientific math.
Factorial is only mathematically defined for non-negative integers (0, 1, 2, 3…). Entering a negative number or a decimal before ! produces a clear validation error rather than an incorrect result, since (-1)! and 2.5! have no standard elementary definition.
Yes. Like our Basic Calculator, this tool never passes your input to eval() or any code interpreter. A dedicated recursive-descent parser recognizes only digits, the supported function names, and the mathematical operators — anything else is rejected with an error before any calculation happens.
Logarithms are only defined for positive real numbers — there is no real exponent you can raise 10 (or e) to that produces zero or a negative result. The calculator flags these inputs immediately instead of returning NaN or -Infinity.