Calculator tip: symbolic to decimal

This is probably the first of an occasional series, responding to frequently asked questions. I'm putting them here purely for convenience, so that I can link to them when required. The first is one that I'm asked at least once a week in relation to Casio fx series calculators, especially the fx83-ES:

“When I do a calculation, my calculator shows the answer as a fraction instead of a decimal (for example, ¼ instead of 0.25), or some other form like 2π√3. How do I make it give me normal answers?”

Answer: after pressing the [=] key to get your answer, press the [S<=>D] key – that's "Symbolic to Decimal".

The pictures at top left show the key itself (top frame) and where to find it, just above the red [AC] and [DEL] keys (bottom frame).

The first time you press the [S<=>D] key it will turn the symbolic answer into a decimal one. The second time, it will turn the decimal answer back into a symbolic one. And so on. For example:

• ¼ → 0.25 → ¼ → 0.25 → ¼ → 0.25 → ¼ → 0.25 ...
• √2 → 1.414213562 → √2 → 1.414213562 → √2 ...
• 2π → 6.283185307 → 2π → 6.283185307 → 2π ...