About Working With QuickCalc Expressions
Enter expressions in QuickCalc using standard mathematical rules of precedence; review
and retrieve computations from the History area; and understand the rules for using
imperial units: length, area, and volume.
QuickCalc evaluates expressions according to the following standard mathematical
rules of precedence:
- Expressions in parentheses first, starting with the innermost set
- Operators in standard order: exponents first, multiplication and division second,
and addition and subtraction last - Operators of equal precedence from left to right
The Input box of the calculator is where you enter and retrieve expressions. You can
either enter expressions using the QuickCalc Number Pad buttons, or you can use the
computer keyboard or numeric keypad. To use the computer numeric keypad, you must
have NUMLOCK on.
To evaluate an expression, click the equal (=) sign on the QuickCalc Number Pad, or
press Enter on the computer keyboard.
Understand the Syntax of Expressions
The syntax for QuickCalc expressions and Command prompt calculator expressions is
identical. For example, to perform an operation on the vector or coordinates 5,2,0,
you enter [5,2,0] in the Input box.
You can use the GETVAR function to read the value of a system variable. The syntax
is
getvar(variable_name)
For more information see CAL.
Use the History Area
The History area keeps an ongoing record of calculations, similar to the paper tape
in a physical desk calculator. You can use the History area to review previous operations
and pass them back to the Input box for re-evaluation with different parameters.
Rules for Displaying and Handling Units
QuickCalc adheres to the following rules:
- Results of calculations are always expressed in decimal format unless a distance is
entered in feet and inches - Angular values entered in the Input box are assumed to be degrees regardless of the
settings in the Drawing Units dialog box. To specify radians, grads, and degrees,
append an r, g, or d after the angle value. - Results of angular calculations are always expressed in degrees with full AutoCAD
precision.
When the drawing units are set to architectural units, the calculator displays the
results of calculations of imperial units in the architectural format and rounds to
the display precision (LUPREC) specified in the drawing. The results for all other
calculations display in decimal format with full precision.
You can separate feet, inches, and fractional inches with a dash, a space, or nothing.
You can use any of the following syntax cases to enter valid feet-inch formatted values:
- 5′ or 60″
- 5′-9″ or 5′ 9″ or 5’9″
- 5′-1/2″ or 5′ 1/2″ or 5’1/2″
- 5′-9-1/2″ or 5′ 9-1/2″ or 5’9-1/2″
- 5′-9 1/2″ or 5′ 9 1/2″ or 5’9 1/2″
To designate inches for linear calculations, entering double quotes (“) is optional.
For example, instead of entering 5’9-1/2”, you could enter 5’9-1/2.
rather than a subtraction operation. To specify subtraction, include at least one
space before or after the minus sign. For example, to subtract 9″ from 5′, enter 5′ -9″ rather than 5′-9″.
You can use QuickCalc to calculate square feet and cubic feet. To enter square or
cubic feet, you must enter units using these abbreviations:
- sq. ft. or sq ft
- cu. ft. or cu ft
Convert Decimal Units into Imperial Units
For distance measurements, enter an inches sign (“) after the number in the results
display. For example, if the computed distance is 15, enter ” after the 15, press
Enter or click = and the result displays in imperial units as 1′-3″.
For computed results, enter the initial values in feet (‘) and inches (“) to display
the results in feet and inches. For example:
- 5 * 6 = 30
- 5″ * 6 = 2′-6″
- 5″ * 6″ = 30 sq. in.
- 5″ * 0′-6″ = 0.208333333 sq. ft.