I taught both math and physics, and for exactly the issues discussed here I told students to stay away from the % button. Although % is clearly defined mathematically as 15/100, the trickery of using % on a calculator is a pain. In this example some suggest that 15% should be just what it is mathematically, i. e. 15/100, which is what Tiger does. Other suggest that the calculator should act "more intelligently" and the software should imply that it must be 15% of something and then figure that it has got to be 15% of 28.05. But then, what if you type: 15 + 25 + 10% Unless you use parentheses, what should the calculator assume? Some would say "15 + 10% of 25", others would say "10% of 15 + 25". The only way out of this mess is to not use the percentage button and clearly tell the calculator what you want to do: 28.05 * 1.15 or 28.05 + 28.05 * 15% and respectively ( 15 + 25 ) * 1.1 or 15 + 25 * 1.1 Bjorn ____________________________________________ X4U mailing list X4U at listserver.themacintoshguy.com http://listserver.themacintoshguy.com/mailman/listinfo/x4u Listmom is trying to clean out his closets! Vintage Mac and random stuff: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZmacguy1984 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information contained herein is confidential and is intended solely for the addressee. Access by any other party is unauthorised without the express written permission of the sender. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender either via the company switchboard on +44 (0)20 7623 8000, or via e-mail return. If you have received this e-mail in error or wish to read our e-mail disclaimer statement and monitoring policy, please refer to http://www.drkw.com/disc/email/ or contact the sender. 3167 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------