User's Manual

36 Getting started
Mathematical calculations
The most commonly used math operations are available
from the keyboard (see “Math keys” on page 24). Access
to the rest of the math functions is via various menus (see
“Menus” on page 28).
Note that the HP Prime represents all numbers smaller
than 1 × 10
–499
as zero. The largest number displayed is
9.99999999999 × 10
499
. A greater result is displayed as
this number.
Where to
start
The home base for the calculator is the Home view (
H
).
You can do all your non-symbolic calculations here. You
can also do calculations in CAS view, which uses the
computer algebra system (see chapter 3, “Computer
algebra system (CAS)”, starting on page 53). In fact, you
can use functions from the
CAS menu (one of the Toolbox
menus) in an expression you are entering in Home view,
and use functions from the
Math menu (another of the
Toolbox menus) in an expression you are entering in CAS
view.
Choosing an entry type
The first choice you need to make is the style of entry. The
three types are:
• Textbook
An expression is
entered in much the
same way as if you
were writing it on paper (with some arguments above
or below others). In other words, your entry could be
two-dimensional, as in the example above.
• Algebraic
An expression is
entered on a single
line. Your entry is
always one-dimensional.