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How to Feed Important Values in Calculator

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  • Understanding Calculator Basics
  • |
  • Practicing Functions
  • |
  • Graphing an Equation

This wikiHow teaches you how to master the basics of using a scientific calculator. Scientific calculators are must-have tools for higher math such as Algebra, Trigonometry, and Geometry.

  1. 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. 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. 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. 4

    Switch between degrees and radians. 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. 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:

    • Use the Answer function to recall the last displayed answer to an equation. For example, if you just entered 2^4, typing in -10 and pressing ENTER would subtract 10 from the solution.
    • 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 your answer.[2]
  6. 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 CLEAR button near the top of the keypad 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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  1. 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 three, 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 to solve the equation.
  2. 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.
    • 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. 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.

    • 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 sin 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 SIN and you should get 0.5.
  4. 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.
  5. 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 to select an equation, then enter the number or formula to which you want to apply the equation.
    • Press ENTER to calculate the whole equation.
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  1. 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.[3]

    • 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. 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 graphs.

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  3. 3

    Enter your equation. Type in the equation (e.g., 3x+4), then press ENTER. 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. 4

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

  5. 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.
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Add New Question

  • 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

    How do I turn off my scientific calculator?

    Community Answer

    Shift+ AC.

  • 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.

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  • 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.

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  • 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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About This Article

Article Summary X

To operate a scientific calculator, locate the primary functions, like square root, sine, and tangent, since you'll be using these frequently. Additionally, familiarize yourself with the secondary functions above the primary keys, which can be accessed by pressing the "Shift" or "2ND" key. When dealing with longer problems, use the answer function to recall the last displayed answer to an equation. If you need to clear the screen, press the "Clear" button near the top of the keyboard. To learn how to switch between degrees and radians on a scientific calculator, keep reading!

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