FSCalc on the PAC Mate

FSCalc is a multi-function calculator made for the PAC Mate. Functions include statistics, trigonometry, conversions (such as metric to standard), and financial calculations.

Opening FSCalc

To open FSCalc, press the WINDOWS Key. Press P for Programs, then press F until you hear FSCalc announced. Press ENTER to open FSCalc. (hear example)

Using FSCalc

You are automatically in the Edit field and ready to begin.

Note: One nice feature of FSCalc is that you can save your work as a text file. If you are a student and must turn in work or want to review your steps, this is a handy feature.

Your work is saved automatically. If you press ESC to close FSCalc, the next time you go into FSCalc, your work will still be there. To save work with a specific file name, press ALT.  You will be on File. Press ENTER.  Press the down arrow once to save or twice to save as. The file is saved as a text document.

You may also review your work as you go by pressing the up and down arrows.

Shortcut Keys

FSCalc includes some shortcut keys to help you work faster. Press INSERT+F1, then H for a list of shortcut keys. (hear example).

Shortcut keys include:

• ALT+S, C - clears display
• ALT+S, H - clears history
• ALT+S,V - clears variables

Basic Math

All four of the basic arithmetic functions can be performed using keys on the keyboard:

• Addition (plus sign: +)
• Subtraction (minus sign: -)
• Multiplication (star sign: *)
• Division (forward slash sign: /)

To perform a basic function simply enter the keys directly (e.g. 1+1). To hear the answer, press ENTER. (hear example)

If you press the UP ARROW, you will hear your equation. If you press the DOWN ARROW, you will hear your answer repeated. This work history will be saved until you press the shortcut key to erase the history (listed above).

Sample Calculations and Functions

Square root

To work a square root, enter "sqrt" and, the number you wish to find the square root of in parentheses:

Example: To find the square root of 27, type in: sqrt(27). Press ENTER to hear the answer. (hear example)

Squaring a number

If you wish to find the square of a number, use the "Pwr" command. In the parentheses, include the number you want to square, then numeral 2 for squaring. (Note: this is a power function, so you can raise the first number to any power you want by changing 2 to any other number.)

Example: To find the square of 5, type in: Pwr(5,2). Press ENTER to hear the answer. (hear example)

FSCalc will tell more about operators and functions

Conversions

There are many conversions included in the FSCalc program, including metric to standard, wind chill factors, and even numeric conversions like standard to octal or reverse (for programming).

Example: An example of a conversion might be to determine how many gallons are in a 2-liter bottle of soda. You can use FSCalc to find this out by converting liters to gallons. To do so, type in: gal(2) and press ENTER to hear the answer. (hear example)

In this example, the number 2 represents how many liters you are converting to the measure of gallons. The command "gal" tells FSCalc to convert gallons to liters.

To learn more, while you are in FSCalc, press the WINDOWS Key (Start Menu key), then H for Help, and you will be presented with comprehensive FSCalc help.

The PAC Mate In Use

Use the following practice scenarios to help you practice Using FSCalc on the PAC Mate .