Advanced Calculator CLI

The Challenge

During academic coursework and programming projects, frequent need for quick access to various computational tools: basic calculations, advanced mathematical operations (square roots, nth powers), ASCII character lookups for encoding work, and number system conversions for low-level programming tasks. Switching between different tools and online calculators was inefficient and disrupted workflow. There was a clear need for a single, integrated solution that could handle all these operations in a terminal-friendly interface.

The Solution

Designed and implemented a menu-driven console application in C++ that consolidates multiple computational utilities into a single interface. Structured around four main modules: Basic Calculator (standard arithmetic with input validation), Advanced Calculator (square root and nth root calculations using linear approximation based on Taylor series expansion, power operations using iterative multiplication), ASCII Table Explorer (query by decimal value or character, displaying all number system representations), and Digital System Converter (comprehensive conversions between binary, decimal, octal, and hexadecimal in all 12 direction combinations using positional notation). Implemented Binary Calculator module for arithmetic operations directly on binary numbers. Used label-based control flow for menu navigation with robust input validation to prevent buffer overflows. Refactored for cross-platform compatibility, removing Windows-specific features to enable execution in online compilers like JDoodle.

The Impact

Successfully consolidated multiple computational needs into a single tool, eliminating the need to switch between different applications during development and debugging sessions, significantly improving workflow efficiency. The comprehensive number system conversion capabilities proved particularly valuable for low-level programming tasks and embedded systems work. The implementation of custom root calculation algorithms using linear approximation demonstrated understanding of numerical methods and calculus concepts applied to practical computation. The modular design makes the codebase maintainable and extensible, and as a portfolio project, it demonstrates proficiency in C++ programming, algorithm implementation, and creating practical tools that solve real-world development workflow problems.