How to Operate a Scientific Calculator:

Basic Functions Explained

An easy tutorial for getting started with

your scientific calculator
Co-authored
Kyle Smith by JohnK Wright V and
Last Updated: October 4, 2023 Fact Checked
Understanding Calculator Basics | Practicing Functions | Show more

This wikiHow teaches you how to master the basics of using a scientific
calculator. This article will cover the basic operation of the calculator, using
functions, and graphing. There are a lot of features to learn about, but getting the
basics down will allow you to access pretty much any function! Scientific
calculators are must-have tools for math classes like Algebra, Trigonometry, and
Geometry. Compared to basic calculators, scientific calculators have more
advanced math operations.

Things You Should Know

 Press the 2ND or SHIFT key to access secondary functions.
If you’re using trigonometry functions, make sure you’re in the correct mode
for the problem (radians or degrees).
Press the Y= button for graphing equations, then GRAPH to see the results.

PartPart 1 of 3:
1 Understanding Calculator
Basics
1 Find the important functions. There are several functions on the
calculator that will be essential for Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry,
Calculus, and more. Find the following functions on your calculator:
 Basic Operations[1]
Operation Function
+ Addition
- Subtraction (not negative)
x Multiplication (There is often an x key for variables as
well)
÷ Division
^ Raise to the power of
yx y to the power of x
√ or Sqrt Square root
ex Exponential
sin Sine function
sin-1 Inverse sine function
cos Cosine function
cos-1 Inverse cosine function
tan Tangent function
tan-1 Inverse tangent function
ln Log to the base of e
log Log base 10
(-) or neg Denotes negative number
() Parentheses for denoting order of operations
π Inserts pi
Mode Switches between degrees and radians

2 Familiarize yourself with secondary functions. While the bulk of the

most common functions will have their own keys (e.g., the SIN key),
things like inverse functions (e.g., SIN-1) or less-common functions (e.g.,
the square root √) will be listed above other keys.
Some calculators have a "Shift" key instead of a "2ND" key.
In many cases, the color of the "Shift" or "2ND" key will match the color
of the function's text.
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3 Always close your parentheses. Whenever you type a left parenthesis,

you must close it with a right one; similarly, if you type a total of five
left parentheses, you'll have to close them with five right ones.
 This is important when entering larger calculations, as leaving out a
parenthesis can cause the equation to return a far different answer
than you should have.

4 Switch between degrees and radians with the MODE key. You can
change between displaying values in terms of degrees (fractions of
360) or radians (decimals using pi as the basis) by pressing the MODE
key, using the arrow keys to select RADIANS or DEGREES, and pressing
the ENTER button.
This is important when performing Trigonometry calculations. If you
notice that your equations are returning decimal values instead of
degrees (or vice versa), you'll need to change this setting.

5 Learn how to save and restore. Saving your results and pulling them
back later is an essential skill for dealing with longer problems. There
are a couple of different ways to use stored information:
After completing a calculation, the last answer is automatically stored.
You can perform another calculation on that answer by tying in the
next operation. For example, if you just entered 2^4 and pressed
ENTER (which equals 16), typing in -10 and pressing ENTER would
subtract 10 from the solution (meaning it would be 16 - 10).
Use the Answer function to recall the last displayed answer to an
equation. When you press the Ans key, the last answer from the
previous calculation will be added into your equation.
Press STO after retrieving your preferred answer, press ALPHA, select
a letter, and press ENTER. You can then use that letter as a
placeholder for the answer you stored.
Some scientific calculators allow you to retrieve previous answers by
pressing the up arrow button. When you find the answer you were
looking for, press ENTER to place that number in your current
equation. Note that there’s usually a limit to how many previous
answers are stored, so you can only use this method for recent
calculations.

6 Clear the screen. If you ever need to exit a menu or remove several
lines' worth of equations from the calculator screen, you can press
the AC or CLEAR button to do so.
 You can also press the 2ND or Shift key and then press whichever
button has "QUIT" listed over it (in most cases, this is the MODE key).
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PartPart 2 of 3:
2 Practicing Functions
1 Try a simple square root. Test out the button order on an easy and
quick problem. For example, you might try taking the square root of 9;
you should already know that the answer will be 3, so this is a great tip to
use in the middle of a test if you forget which order you're supposed to be
pressing buttons:
Find the square root (√) symbol.
Either press the square root key or press the SHIFT or 2ND button and
then press its key.
Press 9
Press ENTER or = to solve the equation.

2 Take the power of a number. In most cases, you'll do this by entering

the first number, pressing the carrot (^) button, and entering the
number to which you want to raise the first number.
For example, to calculate 22, you would type in 2^2 and then press
ENTER or =.
To ensure the number order is correct, try performing a simple test,
such as 23. If you get 8 as the answer, then you did it in the right order.
If you got 9, then you actually did 32.

3 Practice the trigonometry functions. When you are using the SIN,
COS, or TAN functions, you will have to keep in mind two different
things: the order of the button presses, and radians versus degrees.
These scientific calculator functions are commonly used in Algebra.
Perform a simple SIN function with an easy to remember answer. For
example, the sine of 30° is 0.5.
 On a scientific calculator, to find the sine of 30° for example, you type
in 30 , then press SIN to get 0.5. If you got a different answer, it
probably means that your scientific calculator is not in degree mode.
To put it in degree mode, look for a button that says DRG which stands
for Degrees, Radians, and Gradients. If you push the DRG button
several times, you will see that the mode in your view screen will
change between degrees, radians, and gradients. Push the DRG button
until you see degrees or DEG indicated in the view screen. Once you
have degrees in the view screen, then type in 30 then press SIN and
you should get 0.5.

4 Practice entering longer equations. Things can get a bit more

complicated when you start entering longer equations into your
calculator. You will need to take order into consideration, and will often
make use of the () keys. Try entering the following equation into your
calculator: 3^4/(3+(25/3+4*(-(1^2))))
Note how many parentheses are necessary to keep the formula intact.
Proper parentheses use is essential to successfully using the
calculator.
Most calculators follow PEMDAS (parenthesis, exponent,
multiplication, division, addition, subtraction), but using parentheses is
the most sure way to correctly calculate the equation.
After you’re done calculating for the day, you can try downloading
games onto your calculator.

5 Look for complex functions in the MATH menu. While things like SIN,
square roots, inverse exponents, and pi are often either represented
by keys or secondary text above keys, you can find more advanced
functions (e.g., factorials) in the MATH menu. To use the MATH menu, do
the following:
Press the MATH button.
Use the up and down arrows to scroll up and down through a category
of equations.
Use the right and left arrows to scroll right and left through the
different categories.
Press ENTER or = to select an equation, then enter the number or
formula to which you want to apply the equation.
Press ENTER or = to calculate the whole equation.
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PartPart 3 of 3:
3 Graphing an Equation
1 Understand that not all scientific calculators allow graphing. If your
calculator doesn't have a Y= button on it, you most likely can't use the
calculator to graph a standard "y=mx+b" (or similar) plot.[2]
You can check your calculator's documentation to determine whether
or not it supports graphing, or you can just look for the Y= button near
the top of the calculator's keypad.

2 Press the "Y=" button. It's typically at the top of the calculator's
keypad. Doing so brings up a list of Y values (e.g., "Y1", "Y2", etc.)
which represent different equations.

3 Enter your equation. Type in the equation (e.g., 3x+4 ), then press
ENTER or =. You should see the equation appear to the right of the
"Y1" value.
For the X part of the equation, you'll press the X,T,Θ,n key (or similar).

4 Press GRAPH . This button is usually at the top of the calculator's

keypad.

5 Review the results. After a moment, you should see the graph's line
appear on-screen. This will show you the curve of the graph and its
general position.
You can view the graph's individual points by pressing the TABLE (or
Shift/2ND and then GRAPH) button and then scrolling through the
resulting table.
You can also use the graphing function to find minimum and
maximum points on your curve.

6 Press WINDOW to change the graph settings. This will open an

options menu where you can alter the x and y minimum and
maximum values, change the scale of the axes, and more.
 You can press ZOOM to see a list of automatic zoom options. For
example, ZoomFit will adjust the graph to show the entire curve.
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Community Q&A
Question
How do I square something?

Community Answer

Type the number you want to square and then press the "x2" button
(small 2 on upper right of the x). If the calculator doesn't have such a
button, you just have to multiply the number times itself (e.g., 13x13).

Question
What are the functions of a calculator?

Community Answer

A scientific calculator can calculate angles using sine, cosine, and

tangent. It can change the a number from decimal to hexadecimal or
octal. It can also solve equations. Some scientific calculators allow you
to store your own formula as well. Most are capable of calculating
fraction, index and root.
 Question
How do I use the log function on a scientific calculator?

Community Answer

The log is the inverse function of raising a number by a power. It takes

the input number (base) and the output number and calculates which
number the base must be raised to the power of to produce the output --
e.g. x^n=y --> logy(x) = n (the y would be given in subscript) and this is
stated "Log base y of x equals n." If you have a modern calculator, there
should be a log button with two blank rectangles allowing you to input
the base and the output to find the power. On an older calculator,
however, you will need to use a "log-law" to convert it into an equation
involving the log function (meaning log base 10). Do this by typing
logy/logx to give answer n.

See more answers

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Tips
Every scientific calculator is laid out differently, so take some time to
familiarize yourself with where everything is. Refer to the manual if you
can't find a specific function that you know should be there.

For more helpful math info, check out How to Improve Your Math Grade
and How to Pass a Math Test.

Many companies list their calculator manuals online. Here are a few
popular brands:
Casio: https://world.casio.com/manual/calc/

Texas Instruments: https://education.ti.com/en/guidebook/search

 Sharp: https://sharpcalculators.com/support/manuals
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Warnings
Older scientific calculators (e.g., ones which can't graph or type) may not
be able to access some of the advanced functions such as the MATH
menu.

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Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about math, check
out our in-depth interview with JohnK Wright V.

References
1. http://www.shodor.org/unchem-old/math/calc/index.html
2. https://sciencing.com/graph-scientific-calculators-7921464.html
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