What Is Scientific Calculator?
A scientific calculator Is an electronic calculator, either desktop or handheld, designed to perform mathematical operations. They have completely replaced slide rules and are used in both educational and professional settings.
In some areas of study scientific calculators have been replaced by graphing calculators and financial calculators which have the capabilities of a scientific calculator along with the capability to graph input data.
Why Is It Called Scientific Calculator?
Scientific calculators
As its name suggests, the scientific calculator is designed for performing scientific calculations. This type of calculator usually has more buttons than a standard calculator, as it needs to be able to perform trigonometric functions, logarithms, sine/cosine and exponential operations.
What Are The Two Types Of Calculator?
This handheld portable device is usually available in two models: the pocket calculators ideal for high school students, teachers, homemakers, shopkeepers, etc. The other one is the desktop calculator. Both the calculators have LCD displays and perform the basic arithmetic calculations of whole numbers up to 12 digits.
What Is Scientific Calculator Used For?
Scientific calculators are used widely in situations that require quick access to certain mathematical functions, especially those that were once looked up in mathematical tables, such as trigonometric functions or logarithms. They are also used for calculations of very large or very small numbers, as in some aspects of astronomy, physics, and chemistry.
They are very often required for math classes from the junior high school level through college, and are generally either permitted or required on many standardized tests covering math and science subjects; as a result, many are sold into educational markets to cover this demand, and some high-end models include features making it easier to translate a problem on a textbook page into calculator input, e.g. by providing a method to enter an entire problem in as it is written on the page using simple formatting tools.
Scientific Calculator Functions:
The buttons may be labeled differently depending on the manufacturer, but here is a list of common functions and what they mean:
| Operation | Mathematical Function |
| + | plus or addition |
| – | minus or subtraction Note: On a scientific calculator there is a different button to make a positive number into a negative number, usually marked (-) or NEG (negation) |
| * | times, or multiply by |
| / or ÷ | divided by, over, division by |
| ^ | raised to the power of |
| yx or xy | y raised to the power x or x raised to the y |
| Sqrt or √ | square root |
| ex | exponent, raise e to the power x |
| LN | natural logarithm, take the log of |
| SIN | sine function |
| SIN-1 | inverse sine function, arcsine |
| COS | cosine function |
| COS-1 | inverse cosine function, arccosine |
| TAN | tangent function |
| TAN-1 | inverse tangent function or arctangent |
| ( ) | parentheses, instructs calculator to do this operation first |
| Store (STO) | place a number in memory for later use |
| Recall | recover the number from memory for immediate use |
How To Use A Scientific Calculator:
The obvious way to learn to use the calculator is to read the manual. If you got a calculator that didn’t come with a manual, you can usually search for the model online and download a copy. Otherwise, you need to do a bit of experimentation or you’ll enter in the right numbers and still get the wrong answer. The reason this happens is that different calculators process order of operations differently. For example, if your calculation is:
3 + 5 * 4
You know, according to the order of operations, the 5 and the 4 should be multiplied by each other before adding the 3. Your calculator may or may not know this. If you press 3 + 5 x 4, some calculators will give you the answer 32 and others will give you 23 (which is correct). Find out what your calculator does. If you see an issue with the order of operations, you can either enter 5 x 4 + 3 (to get the multiplication out of the way) or use parentheses 3 + (5 x 4).
Scientific Calculator Prices In Ghana:
GH₵ 200
Casio 991 ES PLUS Calculator
GH₵ 120.00
Casio 16 Digit Office or Store Calculator
GH₵ 180.00
Casio Scientific Calculator Original Fx-991ex
GH₵ 500.00