Conversions & Constants
DreamCalc provides many constants and unit conversions. Many natural and physical
constants are conveniently available on the keypad and can be accessed via the [CONST]
key. Others, along with unit conversions, can be found under the Insert menu option.
Unit Conversions
Unit conversions are grouped under the Insert menu as follows:
- Angle
- Area
- Energy & Power
- Force & Pressure
- Length
- Mass
- Speed
- Temperature
- Volume
For example, to perform a temperature conversion, select
Insert→Temperature and °F→°C.
Unit conversion operate always in a postfix fashion, irrespective of the calculator's
input mode. This means that you should input the
value first, followed by conversion as selected from the Insert menu.
Example: What is 45.8 degrees Fahrenheit expressed as degrees Celsius?
45.8 [°F→°C] (use the Insert menu)
Displays: 7.66666666666667
DRGC Key
DRGC can be found on the main keypad, and allows the input value to be converted to the units
designated by the calculator's current angle mode.
Example: Sine of 45 degrees in radians mode.
Put the calculator into the radian mode by selecting Modes→Angle Mode→Radians.
Now key in:
[sin]
45
[DRGC] and select Deg
[ENTER]
Displays: 0.70710678118654752
Constants
Keyboard Constants
A wide selection of constants can be found on the main keypad. These cover commonly
used natural and physical constants, such as π and the speed of light (c), as well as some
digital computer related values, such as integer sizes. Constant symbols are normally
display on the top-right of the key label, can be accessed with the [CONST] key.
Example:
[CONST]
[4] (speed of light c)
Displays: 299,792,458
Because of its common use, you will find that the π constant behaves intelligently
and does not always require you to press [CONST] before it. You should find its use
comes naturally.
Menu Constants
A larger range of constants are available under the Insert menu, and are
grouped as follows:
- Natural Constants (π etc.)
- Physical Constants (speed of light etc.)
- Periodic Table* (atomic weights, melting points etc.)
- Astronomical Constants* (planetary masses etc.)
- Spacecraft Geodesy* (used in orbital analysis)
- Digital Computer (integer sizes etc.)
* These constant groups are not shown by default, but must be enabled from the
"Misc." page of the Options Window. The reason for this is that it is more efficient
not to show constants not commonly used unless they are required, especially when
some constant groups may comprise a large number of items.
