Project 2: Simple Calculator

Description:

The Simple Calculator project involves creating a basic calculator program that can perform arithmetic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division based on user input. It's a fundamental project that helps students understand how to take input from users, perform calculations, and display results.

Example:

# Simple Calculator program in Python
# Function to perform addition

def add(x, y):
    return x + y

# Function to perform subtraction
def subtract(x, y):
    return x - y

# Function to perform multiplication
def multiply(x, y):
    return x * y

# Function to perform division
def divide(x, y):
    if y != 0:
        return x / y
    else:
        return "Error: Division by zero!"

print("Select operation:")
print("1. Addition")
print("2. Subtraction")
print("3. Multiplication")
print("4. Division")

choice = input("Enter choice (1/2/3/4): ")

num1 = float(input("Enter first number: "))
num2 = float(input("Enter second number: "))

if choice == '1':
    print("Result:", add(num1, num2))
elif choice == '2':
    print("Result:", subtract(num1, num2))
elif choice == '3':
    print("Result:", multiply(num1, num2))
elif choice == '4':
    print("Result:", divide(num1, num2))
else:
    print("Invalid choice!")        

Explanation:

- The program begins by defining four functions (`add`, subtract, multiply, divide) to perform the four basic arithmetic operations.

- It then presents a menu to the user, prompting them to select the desired operation.

- Based on the user's choice, it takes two numbers as input.

- It then calls the appropriate function to perform the selected operation on the input numbers and displays the result.

Challenges:

Here are five challenges to enhance the Simple Calculator project:

1. Advanced Operations:

- Add functionality to the calculator to handle exponentiation (power) and modulus operations.

2. Decimal Precision:

- Modify the program to round the result to a specified number of decimal places.

3. Error Handling:

- Implement error handling to gracefully handle invalid input, such as non-numeric inputs or invalid operations.

4. Memory Feature:

- Extend the calculator to include memory functionality, allowing users to store and recall previous results.

5. Scientific Calculator:

- Transform the calculator into a scientific calculator by incorporating functions like square root, logarithm, and trigonometric functions.