calc
Arbitrary precision calculator
TLDR
SYNOPSIS
calc [options] [expression]
DESCRIPTION
calc is an arbitrary precision calculator. It provides interactive calculation and scripting with support for complex arithmetic, trigonometry, statistics, and user-defined functions.The tool offers more features than bc while maintaining ease of use.
PARAMETERS
-c
Continue after errors-d
Disable readline editing-p
Pipe mode (no prompts)-q
Quiet mode (no startup message)-s
Enforce strict mode
FEATURES
- Arbitrary precision arithmetic- Complex numbers- Trigonometric functions- Statistical functions- User-defined functions- Variable assignment- Matrix operations- Fractions and rationals
FUNCTIONS
Arithmetic:- sqrt(x) - Square root- abs(x) - Absolute value- gcd(a,b) - Greatest common divisorTrigonometry:- sin(x), cos(x), tan(x)- asin(x), acos(x), atan(x)Other:- ln(x) - Natural log- exp(x) - Exponential- rand() - Random number
WORKFLOW
calc "2^100"
# Interactive mode
calc
> x = 5
> y = 10
> x * y + 3
# Script file
calc -f script.cal
# One-liner with precision
calc "pi(100)" # Pi with 100 digits
VARIABLES
> x = 5
> y = x^2 + 3*x + 1
INSTALL
CAVEATS
Different syntax than bc. Less commonly installed. Some functions require understanding of calc's type system. Error messages can be cryptic. Large computations use memory.
HISTORY
calc was originally developed around 1984 and has been maintained as a feature-rich alternative to bc.
