Online Calculator with Steps
Type an expression like 12 × (3 + 4) ÷ 2 + 5 and press =. It follows the order of operations (brackets, powers, multiply and divide, then add and subtract) and animates each step until only the answer is left.
You can also type with your keyboard and press Enter.
Watch it crunch
StartYour expression. The highlighted part is calculated first.
Result
Read the steps as text
- 3 + 4 = 7
- 12 × 7 = 84
- 84 ÷ 2 = 42
- 42 + 5 = 47
Answer: 47
How this calculator works out your answer
Instead of jumping straight to the result, the calculator finds the next operation that is ready to be done, works it out, and replaces it with its value. The expression shrinks step by step, in the same place on screen, until one number remains. That number then rolls into the result box.
The order is the standard one: brackets first, then square roots, percentages and powers, then multiplication and division from left to right, then addition and subtraction from left to right. So 2 + 3 × 4 is 14, not 20, because 3 × 4 is done before the addition.
What you can type
Use + − × ÷ for arithmetic, ^ for powers (2^10 = 1024), % for percent, ( ) for brackets, sqrt( ) for square roots and pi for π. You can type * and / instead of × and ÷. Powers are worked out from the right, so 2^3^2 means 2^(3^2) = 512.
A percent sign divides by 100, so 50 + 10% is 50.1. To add ten percent to 50, write 50 + 50 × 10% or use the percentage calculator.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the order of operations?
- Brackets, then powers and roots, then multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right. Often remembered as BODMAS or PEMDAS.
- Why does 0.1 + 0.2 show 0.3 here?
- Computers store decimals in binary, which makes 0.1 + 0.2 come out as 0.30000000000000004 internally. This calculator rounds away that noise so you see the expected 0.3.
- Why can't I divide by zero?
- Division by zero has no defined answer, so the calculator stops and tells you rather than showing a misleading number.
- Does it store my calculations?
- No. Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing is sent or saved.