A scientific calculator is a type of electronic calculator, usually but not always handheld, 
designed to calculate problems in science (especially physics), engineering, and mathematics. They have almost completely replaced slide rules in almost all traditional applications, and are widely used in both education and professional settings.
In certain contexts such as higher education, scientific calculators have been superseded by graphing calculators, which offer a superset of scientific calculator functionality along with the ability to graph input data and write and store programs for the device. There is also some overlap with the financial calculator market.
designed to calculate problems in science (especially physics), engineering, and mathematics. They have almost completely replaced slide rules in almost all traditional applications, and are widely used in both education and professional settings.In certain contexts such as higher education, scientific calculators have been superseded by graphing calculators, which offer a superset of scientific calculator functionality along with the ability to graph input data and write and store programs for the device. There is also some overlap with the financial calculator market.
Functions
Modern scientific calculators generally have many more features than a standard four or five-function calculator, and the feature set differs between manufacturers and models; however, the defining features of a scientific calculator include:
Scientific notation for calculating large numbers
floating point arithmetic
logarithmic functions, using both base 10 and base e
trigonometry functions (some including hyperbolic trigonometry)
exponents and roots beyond the square root
quick access to constants such as pi and e
In addition, high-end scientific calculators will include such features as
hexadecimal, binary, and octal calculations, including basic Boolean math
complex numbers
fractions
statistics and probability calculations
programmability — see Programmable calculator
equation solving
Modern scientific calculators generally have many more features than a standard four or five-function calculator, and the feature set differs between manufacturers and models; however, the defining features of a scientific calculator include:
Scientific notation for calculating large numbers
floating point arithmetic
logarithmic functions, using both base 10 and base e
trigonometry functions (some including hyperbolic trigonometry)
exponents and roots beyond the square root
quick access to constants such as pi and e
In addition, high-end scientific calculators will include such features as
hexadecimal, binary, and octal calculations, including basic Boolean math
complex numbers
fractions
statistics and probability calculations
programmability — see Programmable calculator
equation solving
