Calculate > Calculator
This utility parses and evaluates mathematical expressions.
It supports addition, subtraction, multiplication, division,
power, and a collection of common mathematical functions
(such as sin, cos, tan, exponential, etc). Operands can be numbers
or numerical data within columns, and the results can be stored in
the Datasheet.
Expression Format
- Addition: a + b
- Subtraction: a - b
- Multiplication: a * b
- Division: a / b
- Power: a ^ b
- Group: ( a )
- Function: function_name( a )
- Constant π: pi
a and b can be numbers, column numbers, column variable
names (delimited by "") or
valid expressions of the format described above.
function_name has to be a valid function name (described below).
The parser is case-sensitive (uppercase and lowercase letters
are different). Parentheses must be matched.
Operator Precedence and Associativity
- Parentheses have precedence over all operators.
- The power operator (^) has precedence over +,-,*, and /.
- * and / have precedence over binary operators + and -.
- Unary - has precedence over binary + and -.
- The power operator (^) is right associative, and
all other operators are left associative.
Available Functions
Functions must be invoked in the form of
function_name( a ), where the
argument a is a valid expression.
- abs
- absolute value
- arccos
- arc cosine / cosine inverse
- arcsin
- arc sine / sine inverse
- arctan
- arc tangent / tangent inverse
- ceil
- ceiling (smallest integer that
is not less than the argument)
- cos
- cosine
- exp
- Euler's number e raised to the power of
the argument
- factorial
- factorial x! = x(x-1)(x-2)...1
- floor
- floor (largest integer that is not
greater than the argument)
- ln
- natural logarithm
- log
- logarithm base 10
- round
- round to the closest integer,
obtained by floor(a + 0.5)
- sin
- sine
- sqrt
- square root
- tan
- tangent
For Trigonometric Functions
Select whether the input is specified in radians or degrees.
The conversions from radians to degrees and from degrees to
radians are generally inexact. Thus, do not expect
arccos(cos(x)) to be exactly x degrees.
Input Interface
Enter a mathematical expression directly into the expression text box,
or use the provided buttons and function list to construct your input
expression. The numbers 0 to 9, the decimal point ., and the constant
π are available in the Numbers panel. The operators
+, -, *, /, ^, &radic (square root), e^ (exponential), and parentheses
are available in the Operators panel. The Functions
panel contains the list of mathematical functions available. To use
a function in the list, first click on the function name, then click
the Select button. For trignometric functions, select
radians or degrees mode using the corresponding radio buttons.
Click OK to evaluate the input expression. The result is displayed
the the results panel. Click Back
for backspace, and Clear to clear the input box and results panel.
Store Results in Datasheet (optional)
Computed results can be stored in a column of the current
Datasheet. If storing results is desired, enter the column name
or variable name (e.g. C1) in the provided text box.