Test Drive

On this page you can test drive some of the new features that I am currently working on. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any thoughts on how the calculator could be improved.

Warning: This version of the calculator is for testing purposes only! It may have bugs and may return false results. If you want to get reliable results, please use the calculator on the main page, which has been thoroughly tested.

no flash

New in this version

The script that powers the new calculator has been completely rewritten. This was necessary in order to make future additions to the functionality easier to implement.

Layout

The layout has been slightly changed to accommodate a larger output field with larger numbers.

History bar

One addition to the functionality is the Not-Necessarily-Awesome-But-Nonetheless-Useful-History-Bar. You can use it to jump to a previous step in your calculation by clicking on the history bar and selecting the last entry (number or function) that you would like to keep in your calculation.

% Button

Another new feature is the % button. It is not so much an operator as a shorthand notation. With it, you can make calculations like:

50 + 5% (which will return 52.5)

- or -

(20 + 30) + (1 + 4)% (which will also return 52.5)

- or -

2500[square root] + 25[square root]% (which will also return 52.5)

How it works: after pressing the % symbol, the calculator looks for two "terms" separated by an operator that takes two values (like +, -, etc.) directly preceding the % symbol. Any operator that takes two values will work. If x is the first term and y the second term, then at that point the calculator computes y % of x. After pressing [equals] it then does with the computed value whatever is designated by the separating operator. A term is any of the following three:

  • a number; for example: 5
  • a value enclosed by brackets; for example: (17 - 6 * 2)
  • a number or a value enclosed by brackets, followed by one or more operators that take one value; for example: (17 - 6 * 2)sin log

The [equals] button

In this version, after clicking the [equals] button, the entry of a number will start a new caclulation instead of modifying the result.

Known issues

  • Error reporting and keyboard input are not yet implemented.
  • The numbers and settings you might have saved on the main page are not visible, because this version of the calculator uses a different location to save your numbers and settings. This is a precautionary measure in case the saving routine has a bug which might corrupt your saved numbers.

34 Responses to “Test Drive”

  1. Sophie Says:

    Hi!
    I absolutely LOVE this website!
    I’ve been going on for years since I can remember when I don’t feel like looking for a calculator. I love it’s modern, sleek look; like something from the Apple store. I don’t wish to change anything except to simply suggest the idea of having the calculator tell you what the problem you’re doing is. For example: I click on 9+10 and then it all dissapears and says 19.
    Suggestion: I click on 9+10 and 9+10=19 shows up on the screen.
    I think this would be a very good improvement to a otherwise great calculator.

    Thanks so much!!

  2. Marek Kyncl Says:

    Hello Sophie,

    thank you for your compliments on the calculator and for your suggestion! In fact I have already been working on this feature. If you have a look at the calculator on top of this page, you will see that in the top row it displays your entire calculation. When you click on this display, you can even go back to a previous step in your calculation.

  3. Joyce Matthews Says:

    Have I missed something here? How does multiplication function here? It’s one of the few symbols missing. Otherwise an excellent product!

  4. Joyce Matthews Says:

    Hi – Joyce again, here, humbly and slight red-faced. I should have looked a little further. By playing with it, I found the answer to just about anything I needed to calculate – outstanding!!!!!!
    (It goes to show one should never be too hasty in making comments before one knows what one is talking about.)

  5. Calculator Tab • Blog • Archive • Change of button labels Says:

    [...] a hint form Joyce Matthews (thanks!) I have decided to change the labels of the multiplication and [...]

  6. Dave Jones Says:

    I,ve been using a programmable RPN calculator for 30 yrs. and going back to algebraic notation is unbearable. I would like to see an RPN/Algebraic option.
    Programmability w/ or w/o RPN would be really good.

  7. Marek Kyncl Says:

    Hello Dave,

    since all the operations on this calculator are converted to RPN in the background, this should not be that difficult to implement. I will put it on the wish list.

    Thanks,

    Marek

  8. smr Says:

    hello — what a lovely calculator! is there a way to change the skins?

    – smr

  9. Marek Kyncl Says:

    Hello smr,

    for now there is now way to change the skins, but I want to build this possibility into the new version, which I am currently working on.

  10. Sophie Says:

    Hi again!
    Thanks for responding, Marek Kyncl!
    I was wondering if the other calculator (on the main page)
    will soon show the entire calculation? I don’t want to get
    false results while using this one!

    Thanks so much! (:

  11. Marek Kyncl Says:

    @Sophie: it will be a while before the next version of the calculator is ready for the front page, because I have lots or new ideas, but my day job doesn’t leave me much time to work on them. However, if you are using the functions on the test calculator which are already present on the main calculator (which are all, except the % function), you should be on the safe side as far as the reliability of the results goes.

  12. Lisa Says:

    I agree with Sophie. I’m kind of a calculator freak. I double and even triple check my numbers on the calculator. It would be so great if the actual calculator (on the Calculator page) would show what I typed in. I’ll use this website when they change this, if not, I’ll just use my chunky calculator!

    ~Lisa Jones

  13. Logan Says:

    First of all, I love this calculator. It makes solving problems so much easier, plus i dont have to go out and buy a new scientific calculator! My only problem with it is solving trig- angle- calculations. In my geometry class were starting to learn this and this calculator cant plug every thing in right. For example, I need to plug cosx=6/15 into the calculator but it simply wont let me. If theres any way you can fix this please do it would be such a HUGE help.
    Thanks!

  14. Marek Kyncl Says:

    Hello Logan,

    thank you for your compliments on the calculator. I’m glad you find it helpful.

    Now to your problem: this calculator is not able to solve for the unknown (in your example “x”) by it self. This means, that you have to rearrange your equation so that the unknown is on one side of the equal sign and everything else on the other side. In your example you would have to rearrange cos(x)=6/15 into x = acs(6/15). Now you enter this into the calculator by pressing the following buttons: [left bracket] [6] [รท] [1][5] [right bracket] [arccos] [=]. If the outcome is 66.421… then you have done everything right.

    I hope this helps you out.

  15. greeg Says:

    Hi. .I’m researching for calculator then i found this. Can you make me something similar to this?

    This is my code..can you recode it again? The function such as “+,-,/,* , etc.” should be click once and the last value required a second value similar to ur output. Please sent me ur idea in my account: ***@***.com

    exr8

    <!– Begin
    function addChar(input, character) {
    if(input.value == null || input.value == "0")
    input.value = character
    else
    input.value += character
    }
    function cos(form) {
    form.display.value = Math.cos(form.display.value);}
    function sin(form) {
    form.display.value = Math.sin(form.display.value);}
    function tan(form) {
    form.display.value = Math.tan(form.display.value);}
    function sqrt(form) {
    form.display.value = Math.sqrt(form.display.value);}
    function ln(form) {
    form.display.value = Math.log(form.display.value);}
    function exp(form) {
    form.display.value = Math.exp(form.display.value);}
    function sqrt(form) {
    form.display.value = Math.sqrt(form.display.value);}
    function deleteChar(input) {
    input.value = input.value.substring(0, input.value.length – 1)
    }
    function changeSign(input) {
    if(input.value.substring(0, 1) == "-")
    input.value = input.value.substring(1, input.value.length)
    else
    input.value = "-" + input.value
    }
    function compute(form) {
    form.display.value = eval(form.display.value)}
    function square(form) {
    form.display.value = eval(form.display.value) *
    eval(form.display.value)}
    function checkNum(str) {
    for (var i = 0; i < str.length; i++) {
    var ch = str.substring(i, i+1)
    if (ch “9″) {
    if (ch != “/” && ch != “*” && ch != “+” && ch !=
    “-” && ch != “.”
    && ch != “(” && ch!= “)”) {
    alert(“invalid entry!”)
    return false
    }
    }
    }
    return true
    }
    // End –>

  16. steven Says:

    hey can you put in the thing for the fractions =)

  17. Marek Kyncl Says:

    Hello Greeg,

    I am a little flattered that you chose me to do your work for you. Unfortunately I didn’t understand your question enough to even be able to give you a hint. Maybe another reader of this blog has an idea?

  18. Marek Kyncl Says:

    Hello Steven,

    unfortunately fractions are not high on my priority list right now. I see features like conversions, function storage, option for the number of decimal spaces and RPN mode as more important.

  19. olivia Says:

    luv it!
    you do know that the fraction thing is kinda alredy there…… just do the ” / ”
    :)

  20. Doru Says:

    Very special!
    Thanks for all!

  21. Ella Says:

    This is great it helped me with my maths

  22. Tony Adams Says:

    Marek…this Calc Rocks…!!!….Where has it been all my life. Now my real question…What is Golden Ratio?…Can you put the USD/EURO ratio on there…???
    Thanks, Tony

  23. Marek Kyncl Says:

    Hello Tony,

    thanks for your compliment. To your question: the Golden Ratio is a ratio between two numbers “a” and “b” where the following is true: a / (a + b) = b / a. The Golden Ration is also related to the Fibonacci sequence (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55 …), where the last two numbers are added to get the next number. The longer this sequence gets, the closer the ratio between the last two numbers gets to the Golden Ratio. Already 55 / 34 (which is equal to 1.61764…) is pretty close to 1.61803… You can find a lot more information about the Golden Ratio on Wikipedia.

    If it were as easy as entering the exchange rate of USD/EURO into the calculator, I would do it. But as you know, the exchange rates change all the time, which means that the calculator would have to have some way of looking the rates up. I already have this feature on my wish list but don’t know when I will get around to implementing it. For now you could either use Google or you could save the current exchange rate (1.4481) in the calculator and name it USD/EURO. Just don’t forget to update it once in a while :)

  24. iamme Says:

    This is awesome!! Almost every night I have to use pi. One idea, make pi the symbol instead of the name. Keep up the great work.

    from,

    Me

  25. meeeka Says:

    sexy

  26. Pete Says:

    I am so impressed with your work. Your web page has helped me enormously.
    Thank You Very Much!

  27. Calculator Geek Girl Says:

    Wow! This is soooooooo much better than the TI 83 calculator. Keep up the AMAZING JOB!!!!!!! ;0)

  28. Steffen Says:

    In the test mode, I observe that the left-side functions and bottom-edge functions do NOT self document with a mouse hover. This would great. The top-edge and right-edge buttons self document with a short hover-over text caption.

    Are there mobile apps available, specifically for the android and iphone?
    Cool beans! Thanks

  29. Marek Kyncl Says:

    Hello Steffen,

    you’re right – it is a good idea to have some short explanation for the functions on mouse over. For now there is no mobile version available. I have started working on a version, which would also work on mobile devices, but right now I can’t tell when it will be finished.

  30. kamlesh kumar Says:

    Very helpful in calculations Thanks to all team members !

  31. g Says:

    Lov how tabs don’t stick out

  32. Joey Says:

    If youu save something and delete it and it didn’t have a discription then send it back to #a

  33. Marek Kyncl Says:

    Hello Joey,

    you’re right – it is indeed a good idea to check for the “highest” letter of the “no description” items in the memory and set the letter of the next item to the next letter after that. Thanks, I’ll put it on the wish list.

  34. max Says:

    this a better and easier way to use the calculator, also thanks this really helps with homework :)

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