Using Calculator in Windows 7

The Windows Calculator is a nifty tool designed for doing all kinds of quick calculations. Windows Calculator is not like the calculator in the previous versions of Windows. It has many modes like standard, scientific, programmer and statistics.

There are many ways you can open the Calculator. You can open the Calculator from Start → All Programs → Accessories → Calculator. You can also press the key combination Windows logo key + R to open the Run dialog, type calc and press the Enter key to run the Calculator.

When you first open the calculator, the standard, basic Calculator window appears as shown. With the Calculator in standard mode and with the basic configuration, you can do simple mathematical operations by entering the values to be computed separated by the operator (+ for addition, – for subtraction, * for multiplication, and / for division) and then clicking the equal (=) key.

You do not have to click the number buttons of the calculator using your mouse. You can enter your numbers and mathematical operators into the Windows Calculator directly from the keyboard using its number keys or numeric keypad (numpad). Using the numpad on the right side of a keyboard is usually the best approach of entering numerical data.

The Windows Calculator offers four modes (basic, scientific, programmer, statistics) and four views (basic, unit conversion, date calculation, worksheets). You can combine any of the modes with any of the views. You can switch to any of the modes using the View menu in the Calculator or using the associated hotkeys.

1. Basic mode (Alt + 1) : This is the basic mode and allows you to do basic arithmatical calculations.
2. Scientific mode (Alt + 2) : This mode adds keys for performing trigonometric, logarithmic and other advanced mathematical calculations. This is good for engineering and physics students (if they do not already have a scientific calculator).
3. Programmer mode (Alt + 3) : This mode adds keys for performing programming calculations in different number systems, including hexadecimal, octal, and binary number systems, along with the usual decimal system using different word and byte sizes.
4. Statistics mode (Alt + 4) : This mode adds keys for doing statistical calculations like calculating standard deviation etc.

The Calculator also offers the following specialized views (also available from the View menu) designed for more complex calculations :

1. Unit Conversion (Ctrl + U) : This is useful for converting all sorts of measurements (angles, pressures, temperatures, weights, time, velocities, mass, and so on) from one set of units to another.
2. Date Calculation (Ctrl + E) : This is useful for performing calculations between two dates. You can calculate your age accurately using this.
   
3. Worksheets : This is for calculating results, such as finding the necessary down payment or your monthly mortgage payment.

If you want to return to the basic mode and close all the views, you can press the key combination Alt + 1 followed by the key combination Ctrl + F4.