Exponents

From JS-83 Wiki

Often times, exponents are conveniently written using the carat symbol: ^ . For example, "x squared" is written x^2. This is also the symbol most often used on hand-held graphing calculators.

However, for JS-83, this is NOT how you should input an exponent. In JS-83, you should use the pow(a,b) function. To input "x squared" in JS-83, you would use: pow(x,2). Instead of typing 2^4, you would type pow(2,4).

The reason for this awkward notation is because JS-83 is run on JavaScript and JavaScript runs on functions of the format: functionName (argument1, argument2, etc) . The carat symbol doesn't work for JavaScript because it doesn't lead with a function name. 3^2 is not automatically understood in JavaScript and is not an acceptable format for a function in JavaScript.

The solution to this is to write a JavaScript function that will take the input, search for the '^' symbol, and, if it exists, properly place the base and the exponent into the pow(a,b) function.

I considered tackling this when I had more time over the summer, but I couldn't think of a convenient way to do this, so I tabled it for later. If anyone knows of a function that could translate 'a^b' into 'pow(a,b)' and is willing to share it, I will incorporate it into the calculator.

Otherwise, I will come back to the issue when I have time and try to find a way to make it work.