Guides
Understand the math, work through an example, and follow the steps in Figure.
Math and relationships
Percentages
Find a percentage amount, add an allowance, apply a discount, or divide by a percentage.
Calculation order and parentheses
Understand precedence, left-to-right calculation, and grouping with parentheses.
Positive and negative values
Represent values above and below a reference and change a number’s sign.
Squares and square roots
Square numbers or measured lengths and recover a square’s side from its area.
Cubes and cube roots
Cube numbers or measured lengths and recover a cube’s side from its volume.
Sine and cosine
Relate a right triangle’s angle and sloping length to its horizontal and vertical components.
Tangent
Relate rise, horizontal run, and the angle of a right triangle.
Inverse sine
Find an angle from a sine ratio or from rise and sloping length in a right triangle.
Inverse cosine
Find an angle from a cosine ratio or from horizontal reach and sloping length.
Inverse tangent
Find a slope’s angle from a tangent ratio or measured rise and horizontal run.
Reciprocals
Understand one divided by a value and its use in converting a rate to spacing.
Scientific notation
Read, enter, calculate with, and correct powers-of-ten notation.
Angle formats
Enter and convert decimal degrees and degrees, minutes, and seconds.
Measurements and units
Feet and inches
Enter mixed feet, whole inches, and inch fractions.
Metric measurements
Enter millimeters, centimeters, and meters and combine metric and imperial lengths.
Length conversions
Convert between mixed feet and inches, decimal values, fractions, and metric units.
Area and volume units
Label known square or cubic values and convert their units.
Arithmetic with measurements
Add, subtract, scale, and divide measured lengths and inch fractions.
Areas and volumes
Calculate rectangle and triangle area and rectangular-box volume, including metric output.
Ratios and proportions
Set corresponding values consistently and solve a missing value using a scale drawing example.
Shapes and geometry
Right triangles
Find missing rise, run, or diagonal from two sides or a side and an angle.
Oblique triangles
Find angles and area from three measured sides with the Law of Cosines.
Circle measurements
Relate diameter, radius, circumference, and area, including multiplication by pi.
Arcs
Relate circle size, arc length, and central angle and calculate arc length manually.
Circular segments
Relate chord width, rise, radius, and arc measurements using an arched-window example.
Arched walls
Use chord width, center rise, and spacing to calculate stud heights along an arch.
Cylinders
Calculate closed-cylinder volume and surface area from diameter and height.
Cones
Calculate cone volume and lateral area from circle size and perpendicular height.
Roof and stairs
Roof pitch
Enter or compare pitch in inches per foot, degrees, percent grade, and slope, then find related dimensions.
Common rafters
Find rafter length and cuts from pitch and span or measured rise and run.
Roof sheathing
Find horizontal sheathing run from roof pitch and sheet width along the slope.
Hip, valley and jack rafters
Read the regular-roof rafter results using pitch, run, and on-center spacing.
Irregular roofs
Calculate hip, valley, and jack results for two roof pitches and compare jack spacing and ordering.
Stair layout
Use total rise, total run, and step targets to calculate a stair layout and its related results.
Equal spacing
Calculate occupied width and equal clear gaps, including end gaps, using balusters as the example.
HVAC
Duct offsets
Calculate wrapper and radius results, compare an offset change, and divide bend angles into elbows.
Single duct offsets
Use measured triangle sides to find angle, offset, and length for the illustrated single-offset arrangements.
Double duct offsets
Separate plan and elevation calculations and correct the sloping length for a double offset.
Right angle duct offsets
Correct measured elevation slants before solving the plan triangle for ducts at right angles.
Airflow from area and speed
Calculate duct airflow from free cross-sectional area and average air speed.
Airflow conversions
Convert airflow between CFM, liters per second, and cubic meters per hour.
Air speed conversions
Convert air speed between feet per minute and meters per second.
Pressure conversions
Convert pressure between water column, PSI, pascals, and kilopascals.
Velocity pressure
Calculate air speed from velocity pressure, or reverse the calculation, with the stated formula and units.
Fan laws
Use proportional, squared, and cubed relationships to compare airflow, speed, pressure, and power.
Using Figure
Correcting and clearing
Delete a digit, replace an operand, clear temporary inputs, or recover from an error.
Second functions
Reveal and cancel the alternate functions available through 2nd.
Fraction precision
Choose displayed fractional increments and denominator format while retaining underlying precision.
Display settings
Choose area output units, decimal places, angle formatting, and scientific-notation display.
Calculator messages and results
Understand error messages, correct their causes, and read result captions.
Worked examples and key sequences come from Figure’s built-in Help. Check each example’s stated setup and units before following it; displayed results may be rounded.
Figure also includes searchable Help inside the calculator. See how it works →