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AlexCalc: How to use

Either press the on-screen buttons, or enter text into the input text box directly.

Complex numbers

Enter rectangular form (3 + 4i) or polar (5 angle 30). The angle button replaces the i button when alt is pressed. If typing, j can be used in place of i (more info).

Variables

Store variables by typing an expression, then pressing the "store" button in the bottom left (or typing the -> operator), and then entering a variable name (e.g. 1.23e5 -> x). Then simply reference this variable name in other expressions (e.g. x^2 - 4*x -> y)

(Note that you can press the "up" and "down" buttons to cycle through the history of previous inputs, and add a store command to them)

Units

Select or type a desired unit, e.g. 1 kg or 3 m s^-2. Like all input, these can either be typed directly in the text box, or by using the UI (press the units button to select a unit. Note that the "base" name must be selected first (e.g. "metre", "mile", "gram"), then it can be modified with a prefix (if SI, e.g. "centimetre" or "kilogram") or an exponent (e.g. "square metres" (m^2), or "square miles" (mi^2)

The default output is in SI units, but arbitrary unit conversion can be accomplished with the to operator (e.g. 1 kg to lb) which can be typed directly or by pressing the alt then "to units" button (which appears in place of the units button when alt is pressed).

Note that the division slash (/) can not be used within units, e.g. "1 metre per second" can only be defined as 1 m s^-1, and not 1 m/s because that means "1 metre divided by variable s". This is unfortunate, but I'm not sure if there is any way to resolve the ambiguity. (Of course you are free to do 1 m / 1 s)

Negative numbers

The "subtraction" button can also serve as a negative sign.