Windows 10 calculator bug?

[splin]

My Win 10 caclulator has just started misbehaving - not sure if it has been updated or something odd is happening to my PC.

In scientific mode, if I click 10^x on the result of some other operations it gives 'Invalid input'.

Eg: Enter 100, click log gives 2 as expected. Now clicking 10^x gives 'Invaild input'. Same if it follows a sqrt(), sin(), ln(), e^x etc but ok after 1/x and entering a number.

Is this just my computer?

[ataradov]

I get the same result.

[splin]

I get the same result.

Ah ha!

Oh Microsifty, Sifty, Sifty... (said using your best Rimmer impersonation)

[Nusa]

Your example works on my Windows 7 calculator.

[bd139]

Casio FX-991EX FTW.  Remains working after windows updates

[james_s]

The calculator that comes with Win10 is a bad joke. The Win7 calculator is ok, but the one from XP or Vista is better. I have the Vista calculator on my Win7 machines.

[bitseeker]

Looking at what the "calculator" displays as its supposed calculation for the sequence, 10^(log(100)), it should give the correct answer, since it even puts in the parentheses to operate on the log first.

Microsoft "calculator." Does not compute.

It's form over function. Yet, the form isn't that great. So...

[splin]

But I'm pretty sure this was working a day or two ago at the most as it is something I do quite often, but the latest windows update was (apparently) on the 10th - three weeks ago.

[CatalinaWOW]

Playing around with this a bit shows some interesting behavioral characteristics.  The problem is preserved through storage in memory and simple arithmetic operations (Take the log and multiply by 2. Works.  Then antilog shows same failure).  And doing a few switches in mode and then recalling the answer shows a clue to the source of the problem.  The answer has is correct for 24 digits and then shows some rounding error.

Just more evidence for two things we already knew about.  First, in spite of huge sums spent on QA, MS has fairly frequent fails.  And second, the scientific market doesn't get the attention that the larger parts of their customer base receives.

This kind of behavior matters to me even though the MS calculator is not my first, second or third choice for such calculations.  I fairly frequently end up someplace where my preferred options are not available, and MS calculator is almost always to be found.

[amyk]

I recommend Microsoft Calculator Plus: http://web.archive.org/web/20120427223659/http://download.microsoft.com/download/0/4/5/045ae76d-2edb-4e6b-84af-aba399e2f2e8/CalcPlus.msi

(Archive link because the b*stards decided to remove this very useful and far more functional piece of software from their download site.)

[splin]

Bugs happen in software - I'm sure it will be fixed soon enough. But what puzzles me is that  is that I felt certain that I didn't have this problem even yesterday as I have been doing a number of dB to ratio type calculations lately and I'm sure I would have run into this bug lots of times.

All the calc.exe apps under C:Windows are dated 12th April 2018 so perhaps the bug has been around much longer than I expected. Unless... <Paranoia Alert!>... Microsoft has sneaked in some undeclared update...

[bitseeker]

Time to get some fresh batteries for my HP calculator.

[edpalmer42]

But I'm pretty sure this was working a day or two ago at the most as it is something I do quite often, but the latest windows update was (apparently) on the 10th - three weeks ago.

I just checked mine.  It has the same error.

File version:  10.1805.1804.30001
Date Modified:  5/25/2018 5:26 PM

Ed

[bitseeker]

Still broken in Calculator 10.1806.1821.0

[james_s]

Just more evidence for two things we already knew about.  First, in spite of huge sums spent on QA, MS has fairly frequent fails.  And second, the scientific market doesn't get the attention that the larger parts of their customer base receives.

They don't spend huge sums on QA anymore, they fired all the QA staff years ago. Nadella was quoted as saying "Who better to test the code than the developers who wrote it."  Today they rely heavily on automation and customers reporting bugs. The "Insiders" are in effect unpaid QA testers.

Well, here we see the result.

[GigaJoe]

calc Version 10.1712.10601.0
OS Ver : 1803.17134.165

can not reproduce any errors ...

[bitseeker]

Nadella was quoted as saying "Who better to test the code than the developers who wrote it."

 

[maukka]

Never got used to the new calculator. Here's a perfect replacement:
https://winaero.com/blog/get-calculator-from-windows-8-and-windows-7-in-windows-10/

[JPortici]

works for me, but i'm stuck with 1703. did they even break the calculator with updates?
(Version 10.1706.1862.0)

[bitseeker]

Yes, they did. Welcome to Windows 10, where you never know what you're gonna get.

[PlainName]

If you want to do calculator-type stuff, as opposed to playing with a simulated calculator, I can thoroughly recommend OpalCalc.

[Gixy]

I personnaly recommend HP15C emulator. RPN nostalgy…

(same problem here with calc on W10)

[bitseeker]

RPN FTW!

[Deridex]

I tend to use Microsoft Mathematics for any serios calculations if i don't have a calculator at the hand.
I think it's free since a few years.

[malagas_on_fire]

 Im still faithfull to a real calculator as possible but software calculators should not be presented has a problem. Report to microsoft and install galculator its open source and uset to run on nokia n800 mini tablet