Wolfram Alpha Compatibility

If you know how to ask Wolfram Alpha a math question, you already know how to ask Instacalc — paste it in and it mostly just works. Every example below is a live, editable calc: try changing the numbers.

Algebra & Equations

Systems of Equations

Paste a comma-separated system exactly as Wolfram Alpha shows it — no solve required, though it works too:

Calculus

Derivatives, integrals, limits, sums, and series all evaluate directly, with steps shown for the symbolic ones.

Integral Transforms

Laplace transforms (and their inverse) cover polynomials, exponentials, trig, and products via the shift theorem — plus convolution, Z-transforms, and Fourier transforms for the common pairs:

Linear Algebra

Matrices are nested arrays — [[row1], [row2], …].

Complex Numbers

Vector Calculus

Multiple & Vector Integrals

Double and triple integrals, plus the vector-calculus integrals over a parametrized curve or surface — flux, surface flux, and arc length:

Statistics & Probability

Lists, Matrices & Mathematica Syntax

Instacalc’s native list syntax is square brackets ([1,2,3]), but curly braces work too — so a list or matrix copied straight out of Wolfram Alpha or Mathematica evaluates as-is. Bracket-style function calls (Sin[90]) work the same as parens:

Plotting

Good to know

• Trig defaults to degrees, not radians — sin(90) is 1. For calculus or a Wolfram-style sin(pi/2), add // @radians to the calc, or write the angle explicitly: sin(pi/2 rad).
• Differential equations solve numerically, not symbolically. ode y' = -y, y(0) = 1, to 1 gives you y(1) ≈ 0.368; a symbolic solve y' = y → eˣ isn’t supported yet.
• Fourier and Z-transforms cover the common textbook pairs, not a full symbolic table. fourier delta(t) and z transform 2^n work; the Gaussian (fourier e^(-t^2)) and a fully symbolic base (z transform a^n) don’t yet — Laplace transforms have much broader coverage.
• A line integral needs a constant field (or none) for now. arclength, flux, and surface flux all work as shown above; weighting a line integral by a real function of the curve’s parameter isn’t supported yet.
• Instacalc is a calculator, not a knowledge engine. Physical constants resolve (speed of light), but world-knowledge lookups (population of a country, a stock’s history) don’t — that’s a different kind of tool.

See also

• Solving Equations — goal-seek, using, roots
• Calculus — derivatives, integrals, limits, sums
• Science & Engineering — units, constants, vectors
• Excel Compatibility — familiar spreadsheet formulas
• vs Wolfram Alpha — where Instacalc’s unit handling goes further
• Reference — full function list