What Is a Calculator? Definition, Types and Button Meanings
Published · 3 min read · By The Samsung Calculator editorial team
The definition
A calculator is a device that performs mathematical operations on numbers supplied by a user and returns a result. That definition deliberately includes the abacus and the slide rule, and deliberately excludes a general-purpose computer, which is defined by being programmable for arbitrary tasks rather than for arithmetic.
The word predates the machine. A calculator was a person who calculated, from the Latin *calculus*, a small stone used for counting — the same root as the medical sense of a stone in the body, and as calculus the branch of mathematics.
The six families
| Type | What it adds | Typical user |
|---|---|---|
| Four-function | Add, subtract, multiply, divide, percent, memory | Everyday arithmetic |
| Scientific | Trigonometry, logarithms, powers, roots, statistics | School and university |
| Graphing | Plots functions, solves equations, programmable | Advanced maths, engineering |
| Financial | TVM, amortization, cash flow, NPV and IRR | Finance, accounting, CFA |
| Printing | Paper tape record of every entry | Bookkeeping, audit |
| Online / app | Unlimited display, sharing, no hardware | Everyone, most of the time |
Button labels people look up
EE or EXP enters a power of ten: 3 EE 8 is 3 × 10⁸. It is not the same as the ×10ˣ button on some models, though it does the same job.
MOD returns the remainder after division: 17 MOD 5 is 2.
INV, 2nd or SHIFT activates the second function printed above each key.
DRG switches between degrees, radians and gradians — and getting trigonometry answers that are wildly wrong is almost always this setting.
Ans recalls the previous result, which avoids retyping and avoids the rounding error that retyping introduces.
M+, M−, MR, MC add to, subtract from, recall and clear the memory register.
E in a result means the answer is in scientific notation because it exceeded the display width — 1.5E12 is 1.5 trillion, not an error.
Which one you need
For school, whatever the syllabus specifies. For finance, a TI BA II Plus or HP 12C if you sit exams that require them. For everything else, a browser tab costs nothing and has an unlimited display.
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Run your own numbers
A full scientific calculator with trigonometry, logarithms, powers, roots, memory and a running history — keyboard friendly and instant.
About this article
Written and reviewed by The Samsung Calculator editorial team. Every calculator is written against a published formula, reviewed against at least one independent reference implementation, and dated when it changes. Last updated July 31, 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us.