How to Calculate the Anti-Log on a Calculator

Anti-logs are featured prominently in many high school math classes.

Logs and anti-logs are mathematical functions that most students learn about in high school math classes. They are the inverse of each other, which means that they do opposite things; just like addition and subtraction, they cancel each other out. Almost any scientific calculator today can calculate both the log and the anti-log of a given number. While it is possible to calculate logs and anti-logs by hand, most people prefer to use a calculator because it is much faster and simpler.

Things You'll Need

• Scientific calculator

Instructions

1. Find the logarithms key on your calculator. This is the basis for finding the anti-log. Almost all scientific calculators will have a button called "Log" for this function.

2. Examine your calculator to find out its notation for anti-log. There are a few standard formats: most calculators will have "Alog," "Log-1" or "10^x" somewhere on the panel. A common place that you may see one of these notations is right above your "Log" key.

3. Enter the number that you want to find the anti-log for using the numbers on your calculator keypad.

4. Press the "Alog," "Log-1" or "10^x" button on your calculator if you have one. This should give you the anti-log of your number. If you do not have one of these keys, proceed to the next step.

5. Press the "Second" or "Shift" function on your calculator if you do not see one of the common anti-log notations just above your "Log" key. This is a little like using a shift key on your computer to get a capital letter instead of a lowercase one.

6. Press the "Log" key immediately after pressing the "Second" or "Shift" key. By pressing the "Second" key along with your "Log" key, you can calculate the anti-log instead of the log.

References

• Find the Anti-Log Function on your Calculator
• Use of the Scientific Calculator