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RPN Financial 12 manual · Chapter 4 of 16

Everyday calculations

Arithmetic in RPN, negative numbers, percentages, powers, roots, logarithms, integer and fractional parts, rounding and scientific notation.

4.1Add, subtract, multiply and divide#

All four operations work on Y and X and leave the answer in X. Subtraction is Y − X and division is Y ÷ X, so key in the first number first.

Example 4.1

Subtract: 10 − 4

  1. Key in 10, ENTER, 4 and press −.

    10ENTER4−
Result of the example "Subtract: 10 − 4" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  0.00 /  6.00.
You should see6.00
Example 4.2

Divide: 10 ÷ 4

  1. Key in 10, ENTER, 4 and press ÷.

    10ENTER4÷
Result of the example "Divide: 10 ÷ 4" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  0.00 /  2.50.
You should see2.50
Example 4.3

Multiply and add: 6 × 7 + 8

  1. Multiply 6 and 7. Key in 8 (the 42 lifts to Y) and add.

    6ENTER7×8+
Result of the example "Multiply and add: 6 × 7 + 8" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  0.00 /  50.00.
You should see50.00

4.2Negative numbers: the CHS key#

Use CHS (change sign) to make a number negative. Key in the number, then press CHS. This matters a great deal in financial work: money you pay out is negative.

Example 4.4

Add a negative number

  1. Key in 5, press CHS, press ENTER, key in 3 and add.

    5CHSENTER3+
Result of the example "Add a negative number" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  0.00 / -2.00.
You should see−5 + 3 = −2.00.
Example 4.5

Change the sign of an answer

  1. Add 2 and 3, then press CHS.

    2ENTER3+CHS
Result of the example "Change the sign of an answer" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  0.00 / -5.00.
You should see-5.00

4.3Percentages, percent of total and percent change#

Three keys deal with percentages. % (%) finds X percent of Y. %T (%T) shows X as a percent of Y. Δ% (Δ%) is the percent change from Y to X. In each case key in Y, ENTER, then X.

% of Y=Y×X100%T=XY×100Δ%=X−YY×100\%\text{ of }Y=\frac{Y\times X}{100}\qquad \%T=\frac{X}{Y}\times 100\qquad \Delta\%=\frac{X-Y}{Y}\times 100

The % key leaves Y in place, so you can add or subtract the result straight away. That is handy for sales tax and discounts.

Example 4.6

Find 15% of 200

  1. Key in 200, ENTER, 15 and press %.

    200ENTER15%
Result of the example "Find 15% of 200" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  200.00 /  30.00.
You should seeX shows 30.00. Y still holds 200.00.
Example 4.7

Add 15% sales tax to 200

  1. Key in 200, ENTER, 15, %. Y still holds 200, so press + to add.

    200ENTER15%+
Result of the example "Add 15% sales tax to 200" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  0.00 /  230.00.
You should see230.00
Example 4.8

What percent of 200 is 50?

  1. Key in 200, ENTER, 50 and press %T.

    200ENTER50%T
Result of the example "What percent of 200 is 50?" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  200.00 /  25.00.
You should see50 is 25.00 percent of 200.
Example 4.9

Percent change from 50 to 75

  1. Key in 50, ENTER, 75 and press Δ%.

    50ENTER75Δ%
Result of the example "Percent change from 50 to 75" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  50.00 /  50.00.
You should seeAn increase of 50.00 percent.
Example 4.10

Percent change from 80 to 60

  1. Key in 80, ENTER, 60 and press Δ%.

    80ENTER60Δ%
Result of the example "Percent change from 80 to 60" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  80.00 / -25.00.
You should seeA fall of 25.00 percent.

4.4Powers, roots and reciprocals#

yˣ raises Y to the power X. g√xyˣ is the square root. gx²× squares X. 1/x is 1 ÷ X. Any root is a power with a fractional exponent.

Example 4.11

2 to the power 10

  1. Key in 2, ENTER, 10 and press yˣ.

    2ENTER10yˣ
Result of the example "2 to the power 10" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  0.00 /  1,024.00.
You should see1,024.00
Example 4.12

Square root of 2

  1. Key in 2 and press g, √x.

    2g√xyˣ
Result of the example "Square root of 2" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  0.00 /  1.41.
You should see1.41
Example 4.13

Square of 3

  1. Key in 3 and press g, x².

    3gx²×
Result of the example "Square of 3" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  0.00 /  9.00.
You should see9.00
Example 4.14

Reciprocal of 4

  1. Key in 4 and press 1/x.

    41/x
Result of the example "Reciprocal of 4" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  0.00 /  0.25.
You should see0.25

4.5Natural logarithm and eˣ#

geˣ1/x (eˣ) is e to the power X. gLN%T (LN) is the natural logarithm and needs X greater than zero. They are the building blocks for continuous compounding.

Example 4.15

e to the power 1

  1. Key in 1 and press g, eˣ.

    1geˣ1/x
Result of the example "e to the power 1" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  0.00 /  2.72.
You should see2.72
Example 4.16

Natural log of 100

  1. Key in 100 and press g, LN.

    100gLN%T
Result of the example "Natural log of 100" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  0.00 /  4.61.
You should see4.61
A=P ertA=P\,e^{rt}
Continuous compounding: amount A from principal P at annual rate r over t years.
Example 4.17

Continuous compounding: 1,000 at 5% for 10 years

  1. Key in 0.05, ENTER, 10, ×, then g, eˣ, then 1000 and ×.

    0.05ENTER10×geˣ1/x1000×
Result of the example "Continuous compounding: 1,000 at 5% for 10 years" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  0.00 /  1,648.72.
You should see1,648.72

4.6Factorial#

gn!3 (n!) gives the factorial of X, a whole number from 0 up. Large values overflow to 9.99 × 10⁹⁹ in the display.

n!=n(n−1)(n−2)⋯1n!=n(n-1)(n-2)\cdots 1
Example 4.18

Factorial of 5

  1. Key in 5 and press g, n!.

    5gn!3
Result of the example "Factorial of 5" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  0.00 /  120.00.
You should see120.00

4.7Integer part and fractional part#

gINTG% (INTG) keeps the whole part of X. gFRACΔ% (FRAC) keeps the part after the point.

1.75=1⏟INTG+0.75⏟FRAC1.75=\underbrace{1}_{\mathrm{INTG}}+\underbrace{0.75}_{\mathrm{FRAC}}
Example 4.19

Integer part of 1.75

  1. Key in 1.75 and press g, INTG.

    1.75gINTG%
Result of the example "Integer part of 1.75" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  0.00 /  1.00.
You should see1.00
Example 4.20

Fractional part of 1.75

  1. Key in 1.75 and press g, FRAC.

    1.75gFRACΔ%
Result of the example "Fractional part of 1.75" The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  0.00 /  0.75.
You should see0.75

4.8Round to the displayed decimals#

The display shows two decimals, but the calculator keeps more. When you need the real value to equal what you see (for example an invoice total), press fRNDPMT (RND). It rounds X to the number of decimals shown.

Example 4.21

Round 2.345 to two decimals, then show four

  1. Key in 2.345 (shown as 2.35 in FIX 2), press f, RND, then f 4 to show four decimals.

    2.345fRNDPMTf4
Result of the example "Round 2.345 to two decimals, then show four" The display shows:  0.0000 /  0.0000 /  0.0000 /  2.3500.
You should seeThe stored value is now exactly 2.35.

See also Display format and settings: Set the number of decimals: FIX

4.9Very large and very small numbers: EEX#

Press EEX to type a power of ten. Key in the mantissa, press EEX, then the exponent. Press CHS after EEX for a negative exponent. EEX with nothing typed uses 1 as the mantissa.

Example 4.22

Key in 1.5 × 10⁻³

  1. Key in 1.5, press EEX, press 3, then CHS and ENTER, and show four decimals.

    1.5EEX3CHSENTERf4
Result of the example "Key in 1.5 × 10⁻³" The display shows:  0.0000 /  0.0000 /  0.0015 /  0.0015.
You should see0.0015
Typing 1.5 EEX 3 CHS: the exponent −3 sits on the right of the display. The display shows:  0.00 /  0.00 /  0.00 /  1.50    -03 /  1.5     -03.
Typing 1.5 EEX 3 CHS: the exponent −3 sits on the right of the display.

4.10The history list#

The app records each finished calculation, including loan results, in the history panel, with the keys you pressed and the result. It does not change the stack.

See also See your past calculations in HistoryReuse an earlier result

HP 12C is a trademark of HP Inc.. Trident Calculator is an independent product by South View Studios and is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by HP. The name is used only to describe the kind of calculator this model resembles; Trident's names, keys, display, fonts and software are its own clean-room design.