This is a quick guide to Ubuntu Calculator app with examples. Calculator is a great application, despite looks simple, as it included by default in Ubuntu, as well as is able to perform simple to advanced calculations including currency and unit conversion. As you may be aware of, actually there is a complete user guide for it already, but we rarely see any practical tutorial of it elsewhere. So let's play with Calculator.

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How To Play

Type and press Enter to do a calculation, and press Ctrl+Esc to clear history, and simply click at the top button to switch between modes. That's it.

Basic Calculation

Press 1 then press 2 then press = resulting in 3. That's it. Please notice that Calculator places result in one line with the operation.

Currency Conversion

Select first currency then select second currency then fill the value then the result appears on the middle right. For example, select first US Dollar then second Indonesia Rupiah then fill 100 then automatically the result appears (at the moment) around Rp1,400,000. However, Calculator displays the number in multiplication format like Rp1.4000×10⁶. Currency conversion is located under Financial Mode. Please also note that the currency data can be updated either weekly or daily from the internet under the Preferences.

Alternatively, type anyway first value and second value and press Enter with respective currency code names in Basic Mode. For example, above conversion can be typed 100 USD in IDR followed by Enter resulting in around (at the moment) Rp14,000,000. This alternative way's result is easier to read.

Unit Conversions

• Time
• Length
• Speed
• Digital storage
  

Select first unit under Duration, then select second unit, then fill the number, and convert to get the result. For example, 1 Century is about 800,000 hours or 52,000,000 Minutes. Conversions are done under Advanced Mode.

Select first unit under Length, then select second unit, then fill the number, and convert to get the result. For example, 100 KM is about 62 Miles converted, 100 Feet is about 30 meters, and 100 Inches is 254 Centimeters.

Select first unit under Speed, select second unit, fill the value and see the result. For example, 100 miles/h is equal to 161 km/h.

Select first unit under Digital Storage, select second unit, fill the value and see the result. To reverse, click the reverse button. For example, select Gibibyte, select Gigabyte, then fill the value 100, it will result in 107.3742 Gigabyte. Reversed, 100 Gigabyte is equal to 93.1323 Gibibyte.

Thanks to Calculator, you can also calculate right within your Activities Menu. Click Activities and type 1 + 2 and Ubuntu will automatically give you 3. Same goes with any other calculation or conversion. This is an alternative, quicker way to calculate a thing without opening the Calculator.